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UNITED STATES OF AMERSCA. 



THE 
PRO AND CON 

OP 

SUPERNATURAL RELIGION; 

OR, 

An Answer to the Question: "Have we a Supernal-* 
urally Revealed, Infallibly Inspired, an I Mirac- 
ulously Attested Religion in the World?" 



IN FOUR PARTS. 

Part I. A brief history of the four great Religions 
claiming: a Supernatural origin— Paganism, Judaism, 
Christianity and Mohammedanism. 

Part II. Review of the arguments in favor of Super- 
natural Religion, 

Paet III. Statement of the arguments against Super- 
natural Religion. 

Part IY. Particular remarks on the Supernatural 
Origin of Christianity, and statement of the views of 
Rationalists on Inspiration, Reflation and Religion. 

<Tv v by e! e? guild. 

1 1 " 

TOGETHER WITH, A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF THE AUTHOR. 



There is no human religion outside of human nature 
The different forms of religion contain the elements of 

one universal religion, and are but different phases of 

the religion of humanity. 
Describe to me the God whom you worship, and I see 

in that description a reflex image of yourself. 



NEW YORK: ; .. 

t>. M. BENNETT, 335 BKOADW 

1876. 



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PREFACE. 



Whenever an opinion or institution which has 
long been held to be sacred, is attacked, the preju- 
dices of their adherents will of course be shock- 
ed. This proves nothing either for or against the 
opinion or institution. The same shock is experienced 
by the Egyptian when he hears the sacredness of leeks 
and onions, cats and other animals questioned. Also 
by the Hindoo, when the divinity of his idols is dis- 
puted. And by the Mohammedans, when the authority 
of the Koran is denied. For ages mankind have 
revered, venerated and held sacred three great idols — 
the Priesthood, the Bible and the Church. The first 
has been regarded as the authorized instructor of the 
people in knowledge, wisdom and virtue ; the second 
as the ultimate standard of appeal to settle all differ- 
ences of opinion ; the last as a secure shelter from the 
wrath of an incensed Deity and the evil influence of 
a semi-omnipotent Devil, who disputes with the Al- 
mighty the supremacy of the Universe. These are 
monstrous errors, degrading and pernicious in their 
influence. One design of this work is to expose them. 

Although the Priesthood of the present day profess 
to be the friends of education, they are so only in so 
far as they can control it. There is a certain kind of 



PREFACE. 

information which, to the extent of their ability, they 
keep from the knowledge of the people. This work 
is intended to impart to them that very knowledge. 
The writer does not believe that ignorance is the 
mother of trne devotion, nor that it is a good soil for 
the growth of true religion. Nor does he believe with 
Eusebius that falsehood is good as a medicine for the 
mind, nor that in order to benefit the people it is 
necessary to deceive them. He does not endorse the 
sentiment of Gregory, surnamed " The Divine," who 
says, " a little jargon is all that is necessary to impose 
on the people," nor that of Synecius, a bishop of the 
Church, whose opinion was that " the people are de- 
sirous of being deceived." And although he said that 
" to himself he should always be a philosopher, but, 
in dealing with the mass of mankind, he should be a 
priest," we say it is the duty of every man who as- 
sumes the office of a public instructor, to be not only 
a philosopher to himself, but to the people also, and 
to make philosophers of them too if he can. We do 
not believe that there is anything true about religion 
that the people ought not to know, nor anything false 
that it is expedient for them to believe.- If the people 
are perishing at all, it is for the lack of knowledge 
and for proper direction of the faculties and powers 
which the God of Nature has bestowed upon them. 

The present inhabitants of the world number 1,288,- 
000,000 souls ; one quarter of these are nominal Chris- 
tians. If we allow that one in four of these are actu- 
al professors, the number will be 80,500,000. Can tiie 
idea be entertained for a moment that for a period of 
near 6,000 years God has been endeavoring, by the 
most stupendous miracles, to establish a religion in the 
world, on the belief of which hang suspended the 



PREFACE. 

eternal interests of mankind, and that belief in it is 
confined to only a small remnant of our race ? Is it 
not a much better, broader, more charitable view, one 
more honoring to God, and more satisfactory to be- 
lieve, that all forms of religion contain some truth 
and some error, and that it is a perfectly lawful and 
legitimate business to separate the one from the other ? 
To this work these pages are dedicated as an assist- 
ant. May they be effectual in accomplishing this design. 
The position defended by the author is, that there is no 
true religion except what is perfectly natural to man ; 
and that whatever else is so called, is a delusion and 
a snare. The great objection urged against this view 
is, that " without supernatural revelation, we could 
know nothing about God, or our relations to him, nor 
of our duty to him and our fellow-men." This conies 
with an ill grace from those who accept as infallible 
an authority which flatly contradicts them. The Bible 
teaches that ' ' the heavens declare the glory of God, 
that the invisible things of him, from the creation 
of the world, are clearly seen, being understood 
by the things that are made." Paul quoted the 
testimony of a heathen poet to prove that mankind aie 
the children of God, and he asserted that the Gentiles 
who had not the law, but were a law unto themselves, 
did by nature the things contained in the law, their 
consciences accusing or excusing one another. Jesus, 
addressing the multitude, says, "why even of your- 
selves judge ye not what is right ?" implying an abil- 
ity on their part to distinguish between right and 
wrong. But what can be expected of men who have 
been educated to think that investigation and the use 
of their reason are wrong, and put in jeopardy their 
eternal interest ? What men need is to have the men- 



PREFACE. 

tal crutches on which they have been leaning remov- 
ed ; to be taught to rely on themselves, and " stand 
up and show themselves men." ISTo greater evil exists 
in human society than a superstition which makes 
mental and moral slaves of men, drowning reason in 
fanaticism, and making men fear to use legitimately 
the powers and faculties which the God of Nature has 
bestowed upon them. 

This work is designed to impress the minds of men, 
not by addressing their love of the mysterious and 
wonderful, but by appeals to those powers of the 
mind with whose dictates the views herein presented 
are in perfect harmony. The religious world is in a 
state of transition, consequent on which there is great 
commotion and apparent confusion. The same state 
of things existed soon after the breaking out of the 
Protestant Keformation, in view of which some timid 
men like Melancthon and Erasmus, threatened to 
abandon the cause and go back to the Mother Church. 
We have the same class of timid souls now. They 
fear that free investigation will unsettle the very foun- 
dations of religious belief, and leave men without any 
religion at all. But men of strong faith know better. 
The number of brave, free-born minds is very greatly 
on the increase. They do not fail to lay the axe at the 
root of the tree, to strike at the very foundation of 
superstition, bigotry and intolerance. They realize 
that the present commotion cannot always continue ; 
that the storm will ultimately settle into a calm ; and 
that when the strife is over, on surveying the situa- 
tion, it will be foun J a very great advance has been 
made in religious thought and ideas. 



The Pro and Con of Supernatural Eeligion. 



PART I. 

A brief history of the four great Religions claiming a 
Supernatural Origin — Paganism, Judaism, Christianity 
and Mohammedanism. 

Is Religion a special revelation from God to man ? 
This is an important question. If the affirmative is 
true, it ought to be known and believed by all men. 
If the negative answer is the true one, the sooner the 
fact is made known to the world the better. In 
answer to the question, millions of voices will loudly 
exclaim Yes! On the other hand millions of men 
with equal confidence and emphasis will answer No! 
Both cannot be right Both are ready to adduce ar- 
guments to justify their respective opinions. I pro- 
pose at this time to array the arguments of the con- 
tending parties before you. I will give them an open 
field and fair play, and allow you to judge which 
comes off victor in the contest. Nearly all great 
battles are preceded by skirmishes — by the skirmish 
lines of the respective armies. And so, before I bring 
on the onset between the opposing arguments of the 
affirmative and negative, it will be necessary in order 



8 THE PRO AND CON OF 

that you may have a clear view of the battle to clear 
the field by stating a few preliminaries. 

By supernatural we understand an event, occur 
rence, or phenomenon, produced by a special, direct 
and miraculous act of Divine power. 

By Nature, we mean the Universe, with ail its 
varied physical, intellectual, and moral phenomena. 

The four principal religions in the world claiming 
a supernatural origin are, the Pagan, Jewish, Christian 
and Mohammedan. Paganism was the religion of all 
the nations of the earth previous to the establishment 
of Judaism, and is now the religion of more than one 
half of mankind. We can trace its history backward 
into the darkness of remote ages when no human 
records were made. It is the most ancient, the most 
wide spread and has endured the longest of any re- 
ligion in the world. Dr. Justin observes, that, *'It 
was the religion of the greatest, the wisest, and the 
politest nations, of the Chaldeans, Egyptians, and 
Phoenicians, the parents of civil government, and of 
arts and sciences." It held its power over the minds 
of men until a century of the time of Christ, at which 
period it began to wane. At the time of the appear- 
ance of Christ universal skepticism prevailed through- 
out all Greece, and Rome, among all their poets, philos- 
ophers, statesmen, and priests. The forms how- 
ever were kept up, and the common people who were 
sunk in ignorance still continued to adhere to it. In 
this they were encouraged by their educated men and 
priests, among whom it was a maxim, that, there 
were many things true in religion which it was not 
convenient for the vulvar to know ; and some things, 
which, though false, it was expedient for them to 
believe. Those who should have been the instructors 



SUPERNATURAL RELIGION. 9 

of the people were their deceivers. Hence, two kinds 
of philosophy and religion were taught by them ; the 
Esoteric and Exoteric, the first to be taught to the 
educated, the other to the masses of the uneducated 
people. 

Judaism has existed over three thousand years. 
It was the religion of one nation only, and that com- 
paratively small and inhabiting only a small portion 
of the earth. It is a very prevalent opinion in our 
day that the Jews throughout their whole history have 
maintained a steady and uniform faith in their re- 
ligion. This is a very great mistake. Unbelievers 
were by no means uncommon among them. They 
had their Paines and Yoltaires as well as we. At a 
very early period after the establishment of their re- 
ligion by Moses, Koran, Dathan, and Abiram, "and 
two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly, 
famous in the congregation, men of renown/' rose up 
in rebellion against him, and disputed his right to 
exercise authority over them. It is impossible to 
account for this fact only on the supposition that 
these men had no faith in the Divine appointment and 
authority of Moses. Reason asserted itself in the 
minds of these dissenters ; but its voice was silenced 
by the popular clamor, and Koran and his com- 
pany were sacrificed to the fury of their more credu- 
lous and practical countrymen. Aaron, a brother of 
Moses, and the first priest of the new religion, and 
his wife Miriam, rebelled against Moses, claiming that 
he had no superiority over them as a teacher of the 
Lord. 

The frequent murmurings and rebellions of the 
Jews against Moses, shows that their confidence in his 
divine authority was often shaken and sometimes 



10 THE PRO AND CON OF 

well nigh abandoned. Absalom, too, rebelled against 
his own father David, and sought to supplant him on 
the throne, and he had many adherents. Solomon 
apostatized from the religion of his fathers, and 
adopted that of the Pagans. After the death of Sol- 
omon, ten of the Hebrew tribe set up a kingdom of 
their own, renounced Judaism and embraced and 
practiced Paganism. This continued for a period of 
two hundred and fifty years. In the mean time, the 
kingdom of Judah vacillated between the two re- 
ligions, sometimes practicing the one, then the other. 
During the reigns of Hezekiah, and Josiah, Judaism 
was revived and flourished for a short time, but soon 
sank again with the fall of the nation. It is now well 
nigh extinct ; a great majority of the Jews of the 
present day no longer regard it as a supernatural 
religion. At that time, and long before the ap- 
pearance of Christ, the Jews were divided into 
different sects, much skepticism prevailed, and some 
of it was tolerated. The Essenes discarded all forms 
and ceremonies, and utterly denied the authority of 
the letter of the Jewish sacred books. The Samaritans 
and Sadducees denied the inspiration of all the books 
of the Old Testament, except the Pentateuch ; and the 
latter had no faith in a future state of existence. And 
yet, Sadducees, and Pharisees, alike sat in Hoses' 
seat and filled the office of the great High Priest of 
the Jewish religion. 

Christianity, has existed over eighteen and a half 
centur.es. It is intimately connected with Judaism, 
but has been made to supersede it. Judaism, how- 
ever, might be true even although Christianism should 
be proved false. But if Judaism is proved false it 
would shake Christianism to its very center. The 



SUPERNATURAL RELIGION. 11 

first converts to Christianity were from the " common 
people." To this class Christ chiefly confined his 
teaching, and with them he mainly associated. He 
exposed the rottenness and corruption of the Jewish 
Church, and the hypocrisy of its priesthood ar.d 
other Church dignitaries and members. This was 
very pleasing to a class of people who were treated 
with scorn and contempt by the Church, and made 
him an acceptable teacher among them. The new 
religion was accepted in Greece, and Rome, for a 
similar reason. It exposed the frauds and imposi- 
tions of the Pagan priests, and inculcated the exercise 
of a spirit of good will even to those who were in the 
lower ranks of life. The Pagan philosophers, seeing 
in it a system of pure Theism, which was then the 
prevalent belief among them, and, admiring its beau- 
tiful system of moral ethics did not discourage its re- 
ception, but rather encouraged it, and some of them 
embraced it. Some of these converts, however, denied 
its supernatural origin, and wrote against it. Por- 
phyry, a Platonist, who lived in the very midsl of 
Christians of the second century, and who accepted 
the moral teachings of Christianity, nevertheless 
wrote a book to disprove its miraculous origin. So 
also, did Celsus, and Julian, one of the Roman Em- 
perors, who once professed it, afterwards renounced 
it. For this, these men were branded as apostates 
and Infidels. Under Constantine, Christianity be- 
came the religion of the Roman empire, established 
by law. It soon became con up ted, and in this cor- 
rupted form held sway over the public mind of 
Europe and other countries all through the Dark Ages. 
On the revival of learning, skepticism began to make 
its appearance again. It increased more and more in 



12 THE PRO AND CON OF 

proportion as the arts and sciences flourished, and as 
progress was made in education and civilization. As 
the science of the laws and phenomena of Nature 
were made known to men, they became sceptical in 
regard to the supernatural and miraculous, and that 
skepticism they applied to Christianity. At- the 
present time a wide spread unbelief in all supernatu- 
ral occurrences and events pervades the minds of all 
ranks, classes, and conditions of men. It has gained 
an entrance into the Church itself, and many of its 
clergymen and laymen join with men of literature, 
learning and science, in utterly repudiating the idea 
that there ever was, is now, or ever will be any in- 
terruption of, or interference with the steady, uni- 
form, and uninterrupted operation of Nature and her 
laws ; and also, in the belief that we must have a 
religious system based on scientific facts, and not on 
the mere dreams and visions of visionary men. 

Mohammedanism, originated in the seventh century 
of the Christian era. It was designed not to super- 
sede Christianity, nor Judaism, but to supplement 
both. According to Mahomet, Christ undertook to 
make men religious by preaching a doctrine of love, 
and failed. He was commissioned of God to propa- 
gate religion by fire and sword, to convert men by 
force of arms. Mohammedanism spread wiih aston- 
ishing rapidity. It was established in Arabia, 
Turkey, Persia, and among several nations in Africa 
and India. It was planted in the sacred land trodden 
by the feet of Christ and his Apostles, and supplanted 
Christianity on its own soil. Mahomet had as manv, 
if not more followers than Christ, and although his 
religion is six hundi ed years younger than Christiani- 



SUPERNATURAL RELIGION. 13 

ay, yet there are more real Mohammedans than there 
are real Christians. 

All four of these religions claim a heavenly origin 
in a special and direct sense. They do not mutually 
exclude each other. Judaism, it is true, denies the 
claims of all the rest, Christianity admits the claims 
of Judaism, but denies the pretence of the other two ; 
whereas Paganism admits the supernatural origin 
of them all, and claims only that it is the purest and 
best of them all. 

In this country the popular opinion is that the re- 
ligions of Paganism, and Mohammedanism, are 
spurious and false ; but that the claims of Judaism, 
and Christianity, are based on an impregnable founda- 
tion of truth. On the other hand a large and respect- 
able minority of our citizens deny the claims of each 
one of them. It is only with the assumption of 
Judaism, and Christianity, that we have now to do. 
Those who accept these religions as supernatural 
revelations from God, do so on the authority of the 
Hebrew, and Christian Bibles, which they claim con- 
stitute an infallible standard of religious truth. 
Everything here, then, depends on the truth or falsi- 
ty of the assumption in regard to that book. The 
question is : Is the Bible a special, direct, supernat-n 
ral, and infallible revelation ? The skirmish is now 
over, and the battle of opposing arguments begins. 
Let us examine with carefulness and candor what the 
disputants have to offer. 



14 THE PRO AND CON OF 



PART II. 

Reviews of the Arguments in favor of Supernatural 
Religion. 

1. On the affirmative it is urged that * c a revelation from 
God is possible." This we do not dispute. What we 
deny is that the fact of a thing being possible with 
God proves that the thing has been or will be done. 
God has power to do many things that he does not do. 
If I were to say that God has power to make all his 
creatures happy, therefore, all are, or will be happy, 
many of the advocates of the Bible would see the 
fallacy of such reasoning. But the argument is just 
as good as this for the Bible. 

2. "A revelation from God is desirable." To this we 
reply. First, that the fact of a thing being desirable 
is no proof that the desire will be gratified. Men have 
a thousand desires that are not granted. There are 
no desires more universal among men than the desire 
to live and be happy ; and yet men die and are not 
perfectly happy. The argument in favor of universal 
salvation, founded on the universal desire of happi- 
ness, is just as good as this for the Bible. Second, 
however desirable it may be to have a revelation from 
God, that fact does not prove that the revelation would 
be in book form, nor that the Bible is that book. We 
have a number of books claiming to be revelations, 
and the argument is just as good iu favor of each one 



SUPERNATURAL RELIGION. 15 

of them as it is for the Bible. Besides, a book revela- 
tion would not be adapted to satisfy the desires of 
only a small portion of those who have lived in the 
past, inasmuch, as not more than one quarter of them 
could read it. 

3. "A revelation from God is necessary." Necessary 
for what ? * ' To teach us the existence of God, of a 
future state of being, and the principles of morality 
and virtue/' we are told. But all these were known 
and taught by men who never saw or heard of the 
Bible. If a revelation was necessary at all, it was 
just as necessary for one man as another, for one na- 
tion as another. But nearly all knowledge of the 
Bible was for thousands of years confined to a very 
small minority of the human race. The believers in 
several books claiming to be revelations, may plead in 
favor of each the necessity of it, with as much propri- 
ety and force as that plea is made for the Bible. 

3. ''The truths contained in the Bible prove it to be a 
revelation." So think the believers in other books 
called revelations, and the argument is equally conclu- 
sive for each. But is every book a revelation that 
contains truth ? Then the world is full of revela- 
tions. Common sense teaches us that a book that 
teaches truth is not necessarily a revelation, else 
Daboll's arithmetic is as perfect a revelation as God 
ever made. 

5. "The wonderful Prophecies contained in the Bible 
are conclusive in proof of its divine origin." Most of 
the biblical prophecies are general in their nature, 
based on the idea of retribution, and consisting of 
promises to the Jews, of prosperity if they were obe- 
dient, and warnings of calamity in case of disobedi- 
ence. It is the easiest thing in the world to make pre- 



16 THE PRO AND CON OP 

dictions in this way, and to have them verified to the 
very letter. True prophecies, also, may be based on 
our knowledge of the history of the past, of the laws 
of nature, and the law of cause and effect. If I were 
to predict that one hundred years from this time there 
would be wars and rumorc of wars, that mankind 
would marry and be given in marriage, that murders 
would be committed, that there would be storms, tem- 
pests an(J earthquakes, the prediction would undoubt- 
edly be verified in due time. Many of the so-called 
prophecies are couched in vague, indefinite and ob- 
scure language. So much is this the case, that they 
are susceptible of a great variety of interpretations 
and applications, and have actually been applied in a 
hundred different ways. Nothing is more obscure in 
he Bible than its supposed prophecies. No argument 
based on them is therefore of any force. Besides, we 
have outside of the Bible many prophecies more defi- 
nite, positive, unmistakable and better authenticated 
than any in it. It is generally supposed that the Old 
Testament contains a number of prophecies which re- 
late to Jesus Christ. I hesitate not to say that there 
is not one that can be proved to have any relation to 
him whatever. 

6. ' l The extraordinary miracles recorded in the Bible 
p ove its divinity." Is every book that contains" a rec- 
ord of miracles a divine book ? If so, then the Ko- 
ran, the sacred book of the Hindoos, Gulliver's Trav- 
els, the Arabian Nights Entertainment, and Jack the 
Giant-Killer must be divin:. If these alleged mira- 
cles could be proved, the argument based on them 
would have force. But they have never been proved. 
The authenticity of the historical portions of the Bible 
has not been proved, and to undertake to prove the 



SUPERNATURAL RELIGION. 17 

miracles by the Bible, and then the Bible by the mir- 
acles, is only reasoning in a circle, a inode of reason- 
ing which no honest, intelligent man will adopt. 

7. *' The good influence of the Bible in the world shows 
that it came from God" That the influence of the 
Bible, both for good and evil, has been very great is 
true. Its good influence we attribute to the good that 
we admit it contains. Its bad effects we charge not 
so much to its errors as to the belief in its infallibility. 
Were it not for this belief, its errors would long since 
have been discarded and all its good retained, without 
being to a great extent neutralized by its errors and 
this pernicious belief. Besides, the fact that a book 
has exerted a powerful influence in the world, is very 
far from proving that it is a book of God. The influ- 
ence of the Bible has scarcely been greater than that 
of the Koran, the Veda, or the Shaster, but none of 
these are God's book. The Bible alone is not a suc- 
cessful civilizer nor moralizer of men. We have been 
trying the experiment for years. We have sent our 
Bibles and missionaries into every barbarous and semi- 
barbarous nation. We have given them a surfeit of 
each. At last the discovery has been made that 
schools, and education and knowledge of science and 
the arts are as efficacious civilizers as the Bible. It 
is true the Bible and civilization in modern times have 
accompanied each other. But in ancient times civil- 
ization existed in places where the Bible was unknown, 
and, indeed, before it had an existence. It is also 
true that in countries the most civilized, there we find 
the greatest number of unbelievers in the infallibility 
of the Bible. Civilization is to a great extent a mat- 
ter of climate, race, circumstances and condition. 
The inferior races of men, and the inhabitants of the 



18 THE PRO AND CON OP 

torrid and frigid zones never attain to the same degree 
of civilization as those who live in more temperate 
climates. 

8. " The character of the men who wrote the Bible 
proms it to be an inspired book. They were evidently 
honest men, and they claim to have been inspired. If we 
say they were not, we accuse honest men of attempting to 
deceive." We answer, 1. Only a few of the writers 
claim to have been inspired as writers. None of the 
writers of the New Testament make this claim except 
the author of the book of Revelations. Neither Mat- 
thew, Mark, Luke, John, Peter, James, nor Paul 
claimed any authority from God or Christ to write 
what they did. 2. It is quite possible for honest men 
to suppose themselves to be inspired when they are 
not. Past history furnishes numerous examples of 
this kind. To question their inspiration is not to 
question their honesty. 3. We know nothing about 
the character of the biblical writers, for we do not 
know who they were. This we shall show in the 
proper place. 

9. "The riumerous persons who have laid down their 
lives and become martyrs in the cause of the Bible, is an 
evidence in its favor." If all the men in the world 
should lay down their lives to defend a falsehood, it 
would not make the falsehood true. Every form of 
religion has had its martyrs, and almost every sect in 
Christendom has had them too. If the argument 
from martyrdom proves anything, it proves that all 
forms of religion are true, and that every sect in the 
world is right. The argument proves too much, and 
is, therefore, good for nothing. Martyrdom proves 
only the honesty of the martyr, and honest men are 
often mistaken. 



SUPERNATURAL RELIGION. 19 

10. "The fact that the Bible is accepted by so many 
learned, wise and good men is much in its favor" This 
argument, like the preceding, proves too much. Many 
as good men as any have accepted the Bibles of other 
religions. Some as good as the best have rejected the 
claims to a supernatural origin of them all. Of course 
they could not all be right, therefore their respective 
beliefs prove nothing in regard to the truth or falsity 
of their belief. 

11. "The steady and tenacious belief of the Jews in the 
Old Testament, and of Christians in both the Old and 
Neio Testaments, cannot be accounted for except on the 
supposition that the events recorded in them actually oc- 
curred" 1. Here again the argument proves too 
much. How came the Greeks and Komans and other 
Pagan nations to believe in the wonders and prodigies 
recorded in their mythology ? or the Hindoos to be- 
lieve in the Veda, and the Mohammedans in the Koran? 
It is just as easy to account for the belief of one as 
the other. 2. We have seen that there never was a 
uniform and universal belief among the Jews, in the 
divine origin of their sacred books. Throughout the 
whole period of their history unbelievers were found 
among them, and at times a majority of the nation 
were so. The same is true of the belief in the New 
Testament. At a very early period after the compila- 
tion of that book, its authority was questioned, has 
been questioned ever since, and is being questioned 
more and more. 

12. "The fact that a belief in the Bible enables its pos- 
sessor to die in peace, and in the comforting assurance of 
a blissful immortality evinces its divine origin." 1. The 
argument t r >ves too much again. How dies the mor- 
al man of every form of religion and of every sect ? 



20 THE PRO AND CON OF 

Is it not with the same calmness and peace, and the 
same comforting hopes ? Does this prove that they 
are all right in their belief ? Certainly not, but only 
that they are honest in their belief. The manner of 
one's death is no test of the truth or falsity of his 
opinions, but only of the sincerity of the dying man, 
and the strength of 7ii8 convictions. Some of the great- 
est skeptics have met death with as much courage, 
calmness and peace as was ever manifested by the 
strongest believers in the Bible. 2. Nor is it true that 
believers in the Bible always die in peace. Instances 
are not wanting of their dying in the agonies of utter 
despair. The manner of one's death depends very 
much on the temperament, disposition and organiza- 
tion of the individual, the nature of his disease, and 
whether he is naturally courageous and hopeful or 
timid and fearful. 

13. "The fact that so many unbelievers renounce their 
opinions, and become believers when they come to die, is 
proof that unbelief is wrong." If by this is meant that 
renunciation of unbelief is a common thing among 
unbelievers, we deny the alleged fact. That some 
nominal unbelievers may have been induced, through 
undue influences brought to bear upon them, when 
prostrated in body and mind, to renounce opinions 
which they professed, but never possessed, is un- 
doubtedly true. But in all such cases it is more than 
probable that the individuals could not tell the differ- 
ence between belief and unbelief. Besides, is a dying 
hour the proper time to investigate and decide on a 
question which requires years to properly investigate 
and make up an opinion upon ? Seldom do intelli- 
gent men change opinions which are well denned and 
understood in their own mind, on a dying bed. The 



SUPERNATURAL RELIGIOH. 21 

• 

ignorant and superstitious often seem to do so ; but, 
even in their case, it is not true as relates to the sub- 
ject before us, because, on that subject they have no 
opinions that are worthy of the name. Much secta- 
rain capital has been sought to be made out of these 
death-bed renunciations and conversions, by sectarian 
propagandists and proselyters. It is well known that 
early impressions on the mind are apt to be the most 
lasting, and to be uppermost in the case of weak-mind- 
ed persons, in the time of sickness and death. Oflly 
a comparative few among men can rise above the in- 
fluence of early education. Priests, knowing this, 
take advantage of this weakness, go to the sick and 
dying, and, by appeals to their superstitious fears, 
representing to them that their eternal welfare de- 
pends on their embracing a particular creed, easily 
gain their assent to it. In this way Catholic converts 
to Protestantism are often converted back again, and 
Heathen proselytes to Christianity recovered back to 
Paganism. Could anything be more disreputable, 
more beneath the dignity of sensible men, or more 
deserving of the scorn of mankind ? 

14. ' ''The style and language of the Bible is so beautiful, 
its sentiments so sublime, its picture of the life and char- 
acter of Christ so much transcends the efforts of human 
genius, and tJve loftiest flights of any man's ideality, as to 
prove that must have had a divine origin." This is 
pre* l « ly what is said by Hindoos and Mohammedans 
about liicir Bibles. *The Mohammedan can find in no 
book so much beauty and sublimity, both of style and 
sentiment, as in the Koran. He bases an argument 
on this for its divine inspiration, and with as much, 
sincerity as it is urged in favor of the Bible. Now 
what are the facts ? The style of the Koran is mis-- 



22 THE PRO AND CON OF 

• 

erably poor and mean, so is that of much of the Bible. 
The Koran contains some as correct and grand ideas 
about God and religion, as are found anywhere in the 
Bible. So does the Yeda of the Hindoos. If the 
sublime passages in the Bible prove its divinity, what 
do its low, mean passages prove ? There is more or 
less of imagination connected with the belief in 
Bibles, as is evinced by the fact that the believers in 
each one of them claim that the one which they pos- 
sess is by far the superior of all the rest. The follow- 
ers of the great founders of religious systems in the 
world are infected with the same imagination. Man- 
kind are prone to hero worship. They invest their 
heroes with every quality and attribute that they have 
power to conceive of. Just as the young lover invests 
the lady of his love with the attributes of an angel, 
and supposes her to be something more than human. 
For hundreds of years the greatest genius of man has 
been employed in picturing to the mind an ideal Christ. 
This ideal has been impressed on the minds of men. 
They go to the New Testament expecting to find it 
there, and they find what they seek for. Henry Ward 
Beecher has written a " Life of Christ," but it is not 
his life as recorded in the New Testament: it is 
Beecher's ideal of his iiie. Aside from the miracles 
attributed to Christ in the New Testament, we can 
see nothing that involves the idea of the supernatural 
in his history. 

15. "The Bible is rejected only by bad men, and all op- 
position to it proceed* from hatred to God, to religion and 
to truth.'' 1 This argument, if it is deserving of that 
name, is scarcely entitled to a reply. It impeaches the 
character of every man who denies the divine origin 
of the Bible, and is therefore a direct insult to them. 



SUPERNATURAL RELIGION. 23 

W3re it not that it is contained in so many books, and 
put forward in so many thousands of pulpits, I should 
treat it with the silence and scorn that it deserves. 
The fact that such an argument should be used by 
those who employ it, may be made the basis of a 
scathing objection to the belief it is adduced to sus- 
tain, and will be in the proper place. Let U suffice for 
the present for me to say, that the alleged fact on 
which it rests we utterly deny. That there are some 
bad men who reject the popular belief concerning the 
Bible, we admit. So there are bad men who are 
staunch believers in the authority of the Bible. The 
most ignorant portion of community, the criminals of 
the country, the inmates of our jails and prisons are 
generally professed believers in supernaturalism and 
the Bible. Attempts have been made to blacken the 
character of some prominent men who have been 
found in the ranks of the unbelievers. The memory 
of Thomas Paine and Voltaire has been assailed with 
all sorts of misrepresentation, vituperation and abuse. 
And for what ? Why, simply because they did not 
believe in the divine authority of priest or book, and 
had the courage to openly avow their opinions. We 
do not claim that these men were saints. But we do 
claim that, whatever their character can be proved to 
have been, we can point to worse ones in the ranks of 
those who held exactly opposite opinions. Voltaire 
saw in the degradation of the French people, the 
effect of the influence of a corrupt Church and Priest- 
hood, which claimed divine authority for their exist- 
ence, and appealed to the Bible to prove it. He 
sought to emancipate the people from this cruel men- 
tal bondage by striking at the cause which produced 
it. Thomas Paine was a lover of liberty. To this 



24 THE PRO AND CON OF 

noble cause he devoted up his labors and his talents. 
After having assisted materially in establishing liberty 
in America, he sought to effect a revolution in Eng- 
land. He found the whole power of the Church and 
Ciergy arrayed against liberty. He saw that what 
gave the clergy their influence over the people was the 
belief of the people in the authority of the Bible. 
To remove this obstacle to human progress out of the 
way, he struck at what he believed to be tbe root of 
this tree of evil. His celebrated work, "The Age of 
Reason," was a perfect bomb-shell in the camp of the 
Clergy ; it gave them serious alarm, they have never 
forgiven him ; from that day till now, he has been 
one of "the best abused men that ever appeared in the 
world. The strong common sense and keen wit of 
Paine, and the caustic, biting sarcasm and irony of 
Voltaire was seriously annoying to the defenders of 
the faith ; and as they could not spike their guns, 
they sought to destroy their influence by ruining their 
reputation. But what had the character of these men 
to do with the truth or falsity of their opinions ? 
Even bad men may tell the truth, and the best of men 
are liable to be mistaken. 

16. "The remarkable conversion of Paul cannot be ac- 
counted for only on the supposition that the supernatur- 
alism of the Bible is irue. v Paul was a Jew. He was 
thoroughly educated in the faith of Judaism. He be- 
longed to the strictest of the Jewish sects, and was a 
strong believer in the marvelous and supernatural. 
He possessed an ardent, excitable temperament, and 
was a Jewish zealot. He was violently opposed to the 
new Christian sect, and went forth armed with au- 
thority from the ecclesiastical power in Jerusalem to 
hunt the Christians to prison and to death. On be- 



SUPERNATURAL RELIGION. 25 

coming better acquainted with them, he found they 
were peacable, quiet, well disposed and harmless. 
He began to relent ; all the conscientiousness and 
kindness of his noble nature was roused into action. 
He began to have serious doubts in regard to the pro- 
priety of the course he was pursuing, and as is often 
the case with men when under the influence of pow- 
erful excitement, they run to an extreme in one direc- 
tion, when the rebound comes, they go to an extreme 
the other way ; so Paul, from being a mad zealot of 
Judaism, became an enthusiastic Christian. He first 
endured the Christians, then pitied them, and then 
embraced their cause. On his way to Damascns, 
some natural phenomenon occurred — probably a flash 
of lightning and clap of thunder, which struck him 
to the ground, gave him a shock, and threw him into 
a trance. In this condition he had a vision, but his 
vision was made up of such material as dreams are 
made of. He thought he saw Christ, and heard him 
speak to him, just as we see our friends and converse 
with them in our dreams. Paul interpreted the phe- 
nomenon subjectively, and in accordance with his pre- 
conceived opinions in regard to supernaturalism. He 
believed it was a special interposition of Providence — 
a very innocent mistake, and o le that has been made 
by thousands of men. The c m version of Paul, then, 
is no more remarkable than those which are occurring 
every day, of Catholics to Protestantism, and vice 
versa, and of mem from one sect to another. 

17. ' ' The great cloud of living witnesses by whose tes- 
timony the Bible is sustained, is proof of its claims. " 
Who are those witnesses, and what are they ? fct The 
sixty thousand clergymen of this country, and the 
hundreds of thousands in all parts of the civilized 



26 THE PRO AND CON OF 

world, together with the multitude of laymen belong- 
ing to the numerous Christian sects," you may say. 
But the clergy, are they competent witnesses ? Are 
they disinterested ? Have they no interest at stake, 
no sectarian, no personal, selfish ends to serve ? Every 
one of them is pledged by solemn covenant to main- 
tain the validity of the Bible, and on doing so, his 
living depends. Not to do so, is to incur the penalty 
of ecclesiastical and social ostracism, and the censure 
and condemnation of the entire Christian world. 
Would we believe witnesses in a court of justice, who 
had* such interests as these staked on the issue of the 
trial ? And the laymen, what do they know about 
the origin and history of ,the Bible, and the validity 
of its claims ? Not one in fifty can give an intelligi- 
ble account of what he believes or why he believes it. 
Are the results of calm inquiry, oi deliberate investi- 
gation, of disinterested criticism to be set aside on 
such testimony as this ? I leave you to answer. 

18. " The remarkable preservation of tlie Bible, espec- 
ially of the Old Testament, through all the vicissitudes 
of the history of tlie Jewish people, proves that a special 
providential care was exercised over it, and this implies 
the divine authorship of it.'' 1 The Jewish Scriptures 
could be read only by a very few of the common peo- 
ple. They were in the hands of the priests, to whom 
the care of them was committed. On them they reli- 
ed for their authority as priests of the Jewish religion. 
What more natural than that they should preserve 
them with the utmost care, and transmit them to their 
successors ? But notwithstanding all that has been 
claimed in regard to the scrupulousness of the Jews 
in preserving their sacred books, and in preventing 
any corruption of them, it is a fact well known to all 



SUPERNATURAL RELIGION, 27 

Biblical students, that some of their books were lost, 
and that the inviolability of the text of those now in 
existence, has not been preserved. The manuscripts 
now remaining do not agree, they contain additions, 
omissions, alterations and mistakes. 

19. u The fact that there is so much in the Bible that 
corresponds with the religious experience of all religious 
persons, is proof of its divine origin." Human nature 
is the same in all men in all ages and countries. The 
religious experience of all men who are intensely re- 
ligious, is essentially the same. It is no marvel, then, 
that there should be found in the religious books of 
the Jews expressions of feelings, sentiments and ideas 
corresponding to those which are experienced and ex- 
pressed at the present day. It is just what we would 
naturally expect, and if it were not so, it would in- 
deed be a wonder. 

20. ii The believer in the Bible has the 4 witness of the 
Spirit^ a special revelation from God, assuring him that 
the Bible is infallible in its teachings." Allowing this to 
be so, such proof can be evidence only to those who 
have it, and involves the absurdity of supposing that 
a revelation from God is not sufficient without anoth- 
er revelation to confirm it. To the unbeliever such 
an assertion is proof only of delusion or deception on 
the part of him who makes it. It is much easier to 
believe that he is deluded or means to deceive, than it 
is to believe that God has sanctioned a book as infal- 
lible which he knows, by incontrovertible proof, to 
contain mistakes, errors and untruths. Besides, some 
of the adherents of all the different Bibles and creeds 
under heaven claim to have the same evidence in fa- 
vor of their respective books and creeds. Can it be 
believed that God reveals to the Mahommedan that 



28 THE PRO AND CON OP 

the Koran is infallible, to the Hindoo that the Yeda is 
so, to the Parsee that the Sh aster is, and to the Chris- 
tian that the Bible is so too ? Is it reasonable to be- 
lieve that God makes a special revelation to the Cal- 
vinist to convince him that Calvinism is true, to the 
Arminian to convict him of the truth of Arminian- 
ism, and the Universalist to persuade him of the truth 
of Universalism ? Is it not possible that the strong 
conviction of the believers in the Bible in the truth 
of religion is mistaken by them for a strong convic- 
tion of the infallibility of the book in which the prin- 
ciples of religion are taught ? But religion is taught 
in many books, but this does not prove them to be 
divine books in the sense that the Bible is supposed to 
be a divine book. 

21. "The divine authority and infallibility of the Bible 
is attested by miracles.' 1 But how are we to know that 
the alleged miracles were wrought ? " Because the 
Bible says so," we are told. Here is an attempt to 
prove the Bible true by miracles, and the miracles by 
the Bible. If a man were to assert that he had wrought 
a miracle, and when asked for the proof, should say 
it was true because he said it, would we accept that 
as proof ? If not, then why should we do it in the 
other case ? Is not this argument just as good for the 
Catholic as it is for the Protestant ? The Catholic at- 
tempts to prove the infallibility of the Church by mir- 
acles and the miracles by the Church. Such reason- 
ing is futile and childish, such as full-grown 'men 
ought to be ashamed of, and yet many theologians 
employ it seemingly without ever seeing its utter fu- 
tility and inconclusiveness. The ancient miracles 
could not be a witness for the Old Testament, for, be- 
fore the canon of that book was settled, miracles had 



SUPERNATURAL RELIGION. 29 

ceased in the Jewish Church. The Christian mira- 
cles could not attest the Ne.w Testament, for, long be- 
fore the canon of that book was settled, miracles had 
ceased in the Christian Church. 



30 THE PRO AND CON OP 



PART III. 

Statement of the Arguments against Supernatural Be- 

ligion. 

Let us now look at the arguments on the negative 
side of this question. But first we will state our posi- 
tion, showing what it is not, and also what it is. 

Our position is not, that the Bible is a tissue of 
falsehoods, and, therefore, ought to be suppressed, It 
is not that it does not contain much valuable instruc- 
tion. We regard it as we regard all other natural 
gifts of God, as useful, if properly used, as destruct- 
ive if misused. There is no gift of God that is not 
liable to be perverted and abused. Even the religious 
faculties of man may be misdirected and perverted, 
as they often are. Our position is not against the 
Bible, as a book, but against the belief in it as an au- 
thoritative book, by which our religious opinions are 
to be tested and tried. 

The beievers in the divine origin of the Bible as 
sert that it is a special revelation from God, the de- 
sign of which is to impart to mankind a knowledge 
of true religion, and also of God's plan and method 
of saving men from sin, and securing their happiness 
in a future state of being. From all this we dissent. 

1. Our first argument on the negative is, that tlie idea 
of such a revelation is contrary to all analogy. On all 
other subjects pertaining to the interest and happiness 



SUPERNATURAL RELIGION. 31 

of man, God has left them to the guidance and direc- 
tion of their natural powers. He has given us no 
revelation to teach us the arts or the truths of science. 
No revelations on the subject of agriculture, medi- 
cine, diet, laws of life and health, anatomy, physiology, 
astronomy, etc. Why then should it be supposed 
necessary on the subject of religion ? 

2. Such a revelation is not desirable, because it would 
not be beneficial. The mind, like the body, requires 
exercise. On it both depend for health, activity and 
strength. If God had provided a great store-house of 
food and clothing all ready for our use whenever our 
wants required, and we had nothing to do but to go 
to the fountain and get our supplies, the effect would 
be to completely demoralize the human race. We 
should soon become lazy, idle and indolent. No im- 
provement or progress would be made. In like man- 
ner, if God had provided a book, containing all the 
religious and moral truth necessary for us to know, 
and we had only to go there and find it, the same dis- 
astrous effects would be produced on the minds of 
men. All inquiry and investigation would be useless, 
we should sink into apathy, inactivity and ultimate 
imbecility. 

3. The Bible has not accomplished what its believers sup- 
pose it was designed to effect. It does not impart to the 
minds of those who accept it, uniform information. In- 
stead of uniting men in opinion, it has driven them 
farther apart. Instead of lessening the number of 
conflicting opinions, it has increased them. It has in- 
creased rather than diminished the number of warring 
sects. It has not made men more tolerant toward 
each other, but more intolerant; no more charitable, 
but less so. It has not diminished wars in the earth, 



32 THE PRO AND CON OF 

but very greatly added to the number. It has not 
made men less cruel, but more savage, sanguinary and 
inhuman. 

4. The effect that the belief in the autlwrity of the Bible 
has, on those who believe it, slwws that it is erroneous. 
Many of them suppose that, as the Bible is a finality, 
God's last word to man, no more truth is needed, no 
further progress is to be made, no further discoveries 
are desirable. Hence they sink down into utter inac- 
tivity and stupidity of mind. This belief, too, engen- 
ders a spirit the very opposite of that of religion. It 
makes men bigoted, uncharitable, conceited, dog- 
matic, dictatorial and tyrannical. They assume that 
they are certainly right, and that all who do not agree 
with them are as certainly in the wrong. They cannot 
be mistaken, for, do they not believe just what God 
has spoken, and is not what he has spoken true ? 
They seem to imbibe a spirit of enmity against all 
who do not agree with them in opinion. Nothing of- 
fends them so much as to have the correctness of their 
opinions questioned ; and whoever does so, they are 
ready to pronounce an unregenerate sinner, a hater of 
God and religion. We do not say that it has this ef- 
fect upon all ; we cheerfully admit that even many 
are too good by nature, to be materally injured by it. 
But we do say that this has been, and is its general 
tendency in the world. And this fact we urge as an 
evidence that the belief is wrong. 

5. The fact that the Bible is very obscure in its teach- 
ings, is an evidence against it. We known that it is 
often claimed that it is perfectly clear and plain in its 
inculcations, so much so as that " even a fool need not 
err therein." Every man thoroughly acquainted with 
it, knows better. Even the book itself admits that 



SUPERNATURAL RELIGION. 33 

there are some things in it "hard to understood." 
Bishop Watson, when asked what the doctrines of 
Christianity were, replied, "it is much easier to tell 
where they are, than what they are." This was a can- 
did confession, remarkable as coming from a defend- 
er of the faith. If we ask the believers in the Bible, 
what is Christianity, we shall get a thousand different 
answers, and each one who answers will confidently 
appeal to the Bible to prove that he is right. These 
conflicting opinions, too, are held by men of equal 
learning, talents and piety. How obscure must be the 
teachings of a book from which such conflicting sys- 
tems of theology can be deduced, as Calvinism, Ar- 
minianism and Universal ism ? The Bible has been 
invoked to prove an astonishing variety and number 
of opposite opinions, such as no other book has since 
the world began. Among them are the following ; 
That God is a being of love, and that he is a God of 
vengeance ; that man is by nature totally depraved, 
and that his nature is divine ; that there is a personal 
Devil, and that there is not ; that Christ was God, and 
that he was no more than man ; that he was a super- 
angelic being, and was not ; that he existed before 
his appearance on earth, and that he did not ; that 
Christ died to appease God's wrath toward his crea- 
tures, and that he died to commend his love to them ; 
that Christ made an atonement for the sins of men, 
and that no sin can go unpunished ; that only a few 
of mankind will be saved, and that all will be. These, 
to be sure, are mainly doctrinal points, but even on 
the subject of practical morality and religion, the be- 
lievers in the Bible are no better agreed than other 
men. They appeal to the book to prove that slavery 
is right, and that it is wrong ; that to use intoxicating 



34 THE PRO AND CON OF 

drinks is right, and that to do so is a crime ; that pol- 
ygamy and concubinage are no sins, and that they are 
exceedingly sinful ; that it is the duty of Christians 
to observe one day in seven as peculiarly sacred, and 
that it is not ; that all Christians ought to be baptized, 
and that none shouM be; that a part of religion con- 
sists in the observance of forms, ceremonies and or- 
dinances, and that it is perfectly form-free, and en- 
joins the observance of no set forms whatever. Now 
to say that such a book constitutes an infallible guide 
for the children of men, is as preposterous os to assert 
hat the sun shines at midnight. 

6. "The Bible may be appealed to, and often is, to sanc- 
tion the worst of vices and enormities. Hatred of ene- 
mies; did not David boast that he hated his enemies 
with " perfect hatred"? Did he not denounce upon 
them the most grievous curses ? Does not God hate 
those who hate him, and can it be wrong to imitate 
Jhis example? Plurality of wives ; was not polygamy 
tolerated among the Jews ? Keeping of mistresses ; 
did not holy men of old have their concubines ? Be- 
talmtion and revenge; does not God avenge himself on 
his enemies ? and was not the Levitical law founded 
on the principle of rendering evil for evil ? Slavery; 
was it not sanctioned by Moses ? Slaughtering of pris- 
oners taken in war, and even of women and ch^dren; 
did not God command his people to do it, and did not 
the holy prophet Samuel, set an example of this kind, 
by hewing Agag in pieces " before the Lord ?'* Cheat- 
ing; did not Jacob's father-in-law cheat him, and did 
not Jacob pay him off in his own coin ? Lying ; did 
not God command it on a certain day ? Deception; 
was not Samuel directed by the Lord to practice it ? 
Treachery; did not Kahab pretend to afford protection 



SUPERNATURAL RELIGION. 35 

to a man who was fleeing from his enemies, and then 
betray and rob him of his life ? and is she not com- 
mended for her faith ? Was not Jacob treacherous 
to his own brother, in taking advantage of his neces- 
sities, and robbing him of his birthright ? and also to 
his own father, in procuring from him the blessing " 
which he designed for Esau ? Intolerance; does not 
the Bible everywhere demand belief of men as the 
first and indispensable requisite, apparently, without 
regard to proofs and evidences ? and did not Paul pro- 
nounce curses on all who did not believe his Gospel ? 
Persecution; were not the Jews commanded to destroy 
all the inhabitants of Canaan who would not adopt 
their religion ? 

It may be said that most of these practices are con- 
demned in the New Testament. So they are, but the 
New Testament is a part of the Bible, and the fact 
named only shows the conflicting nature of the teach- 
ings of that book. Many of the men who practiced 
the vices above named, are even in the New Testa- 
ment, held up to view as exceptionally pious, holy 
and worthy men ; how can it be expected that believ- 
ers in the divine authority of the Bible can escape the 
contagion of their example? 

7. "jgf it was necessary for God to make a revelation 
to his creatures in book form, it is but reasonable to be- 
lieve that lie would piloted it in such a manner as that his 
design in giving it could not be defeated. But such is not 
the case with the Bible." A book containing a revela- 
tion, and designed to be transmitted to future genera- 
tions throughout all time, should be accompanied 
with external and internal evidences so overwhelming 
as to command the assent of every one that examined 
its claims. If it was in manuscript writings, and r§- 



36 THE PRO AND CON OF 

quired to be copied frequently; if it was written in 
one language, and translated into a number of others, 
the same being who communicated it at Irst, should 
superintend the copying and translation of it in such 
a way as to prevent all mistakes. We should know 
who the original writers were, when it was written, 
and in what place. We ought to know when it was 
translated, and by whom. In fine, we ought to have 
a well- authenticated account of its origin and history. 
The Bible lacks every one of these essential requisites. 
The history of no book in the world is involved in 
more obscenity than that. Except the writings of 
Paul, we do not know when the books of the Bible 
were written, the particular place where, the time 
when, nor the persons by whom. But there are some 
things we do know about it, and what we do know is 
yery much against it as a revelation. 

The Old Testament is a collection of books which 
the Jews during some periods of their history deem- 
ed sacred ; at other times they did not so regard them, 
The New Testament is a collection of books which 
were written some time during the first and second 
centuries of the Christian era. They were selected 
from a great number of similar books in about the 
third century. Before their collection and after, they, 
and many others beside, were accepted as inspired. 
The Old • and JSTew Testaments were written in lan- 
guages which have ceased to be spoken. The books 
of the Bible existed for many years in manuscripts 
only, and have been frequently copied. Our English 
translation was made, not from the original manu- 
scripts, but from copies of them, not one of which, 
of the Old Testament, was older than the ninth cen* 
tury of the Christian era, and not one ot the £few 



SUPERNATURAL RELIGION. 87 

older than the sixth. The different copies of these 
manuscripts vary considerably from each other. There 
has been various translations of the Bible into the 
English language, no two of which are exactly alike. 
Dr. Bellamy made a translation, which made some 
important passages say exactly the reverse of what 
they are made to say in the common English version. 
It is universally admitted by the learned that the 
copyists did make mistakes in the copying, that the 
translators did make mistakes in translating, and 
many of them admit that the collectors of the books 
made mistakes in selecting. It is also admitted that 
the copies from which our Bible was translated con- 
tained passages which were not in the original text. 
Our version, then, contains interpolations, mistrans- 
lations and supplied words. The division of it into 
chapters and verses, the supplied words, the heading 
in the upper margin of the pages, and over the chap- 
ters, the copying, the collecting and translation, is all 
the work of fallible men, for whom no divine guid- 
ance is claimed. Is this the care God exercises over 
his revelation ? If he thinks no more of it than this, 
why should we concern ourselves about it ? 

The belief in the Bible as a revelation, is calculated to 
perpetuate some of the most degrading superstitions. Most 
of its believers understand it to teach the existence of 
a Devil, with his millions of kindred and subordinate 
evil spirits, disputing with the Almighty the throne of 
the Universe, and exerting a malign influence over the 
hearts and minds of men. The tendency of this be- 
lief is to induce men to keep a sharp lookout for this 
imaginary fiend, to the entire neglect of the real 
Devil that every man carries about with him in his 
heart. The Bible, too, is understood to sanction the 



88 THE PRO AND CON OF 

belief in necromancy, fortune-telling, witchcraft, 
sorcery, magic, special providences, and that diseases 
both of mind and body are produced by evil spirits. 
What wonder is it, then, that so many are led astray 
by the lying wonders of Matthias, and Joe Smiths, 
of the present day ? What hope can there be for the 
improvement of men who believe that the affairs of 
this life, the events which take place in the world, and 
the phenomena of nature, are all the results of a 
special providence, without regard to order or the 
natural sequence of cause and effect ? Certainly 
none; for, according to this view there can be no such 
thing as science in any department of nature; in other 
words, the fact that a phenomena occurred to-day, is 
no proof that it ever occurred before, or ever will 
again. Hence, those who hold this view are full of 
the belief in the marvelous ; are continually talking 
about special providences either in their favor, or 
against them ; are constantly dodging some miracu- 
lous thunderbolt from heaven, or anticipating some 
supernatural interposition in their behalf. It is not 
a real world in which they live, but one wholly ideal 
and imaginary. Solid truth, the facts of science, a 
knowledge of nature and her laws, has for them no 
interest, and possesses for them no charms. Until 
this spell on the minds of otherwise intelligent men is 
broken, how can they be emancipated from the bonds 
of superstition ? 

9. This belief in the authority of the Bible blinds and 
bewilders the minds of men. The Bible contains a 
record of prodigies the most astounding; of marvels 
the most wonderful, of miracles the most marvelous, 
and statements the most incredible. Hence, "it con- 
flicts with common sense, shocks our credulity, and' 



SUPERNATURAL RELIGION. 39 

does violence to our reason. The man who believes 
it is put in a mental condition to believe almost any- 
thing. All power to distinguish between things 
reasonable and unreasonable, credible and incredible, 
is overcome. He believes, not on evidence, but on 
authority alone; he does not dictate his own belief, 
but has it dictated to him. Like the young of birds, 
he opens his mouth and swallows whatever is given 
him without reference to its quality. They are in the 
situation of the clergyman, who, in defending the 
Bible, said, " the Bible says that a whale swallowed 
Jonah, and I believe it, and if it said that Jonah 
swallowed the whale I would believe that." Now, 
truth is the natural food of the mind, as bread is of 
the body; and truth must be as wisely adapted to the 
powers and faculties of the mind, as food is to the 
taste, and digestive powers of the body. Food that 
is distasteful and indigestible, is unwholesome, so that 
the mental and moral diet, that violates our reason, 
shocks our moral sense, and wounds the best affections 
of our nature, must be spurious. There are thousands 
of good men and women who profess to believe in 
things which they admit look to them unreasonable, 
and shocking to their feelings ; but, nevertheless, they 
feel obligated to believe as they do, on the sole au- 
thority of the Bible. Such persons are the miserable 
victims of a mental and moral tyranny that demands 
the best efforts of the best men to overthrow. 

10. "The great argument usually employed to make 
converts to the belief in the Bible, not only betrays a want 
of confidence in it y on the part of those who use it, but it 
constitutes a ground of objection to it." The principal 
argument usually relied on to propagate this belief in 
the world is that which is by far the most successful, 



40 THE PRO ATH) CON OF 

and leaves us with but one alternative. It is this, 
44 Believe, or be damned." Thousands of persons 
who are as ignorant of the history and origin of the 
Bible as the veriest heathen on earth, will go into the 
pulpit and proclaim to their hearers doctrines the 
most shocking to reason and common sense, and when 
asked for the evidence of their truth, will tell us that 
" God is the authority for their truth." When asked 
how we are to know that, the answer will be, " they are 
taught in the Bible — which is God's word — and we 
must accept them or be damned." Could arrogance 
and presumption go farther than this ? Here it is as- 
sumed not only that the Bible is an infallible book, 
but that they correctly understand a book which 
thousands have attempted to explain, no two of whom 
ever agreed in its interpretation. Is this the way to 
treat rational beings ? Can such persons know any- 
thing about the science of mind ? Have they the 
least conception of the necessary connection between 
evidence and belief ? Do they not proceed on the 
supposition that rational belief can be induced by 
bribes and threats ? Or if they are not ignorant of 
the fact that a sufficient amount of evidence will irre- 
sistibly produce conviction on the mind, and that to 
undertake to gain the assent of men to the truth of 
any doctrine by bribes and threats, is only to try to 
make them hypocrites, and mental and moral cowards 
and slaves ; then, we ask, are they not the greatest 
mountebanks that ever "played fantastic tricks be- 
fore high heaven, " and do they not insult the under- 
standing of man ? Do the teachers of scientific truth 
first give their lesson, and then offer rewards to those 
who believe their inculcations, and threaten punish- 
ment to those who do not ? Are they alarmed when 



SUPERNATURAL RELIGION. 41 

the truthfulness of their teachings is questioned, and 
do they threaten with the judgments of God and the 
wrath of heaven all who doubt or disbelieve them ? 
If not, why is it any more necessary to do so to en- 
force religious truth than any other kind of truth ? 
If teachers in any other department of knowledge 
were to proceed in this way, they would very soon be 
destitute of pupils, and it is certainly a marvel how 
intelligent men can put themselves under the teach- 
ing of men who are constantly insulting them. If 
such teachers do not know any better, they are enti- 
tled to our pity; if they do know better, they are 
more entitled to our pity still, but the course they pur- 
sue is deserving only of the scorn and contempt of 
mankind. Persons who are conscious they have truth 
to offer, and believe they can present an abundance of 
evidence to sustain it, will not fool away their time by 
resorting to arts and tricks, nor promises, nor threats in 
order to commend it to their hearers. The fact, then, 
that religious teachers do resort to these means is proof 
that they have not entire confidence in the truth of 
their doctrines, and that having no hope of producing 
conviction on the minds of men by evidence, they rely 
on appeals to their superstitious fears. The fact, too, 
that there is such alarm in their ranks whenever the 
bulwark behind which they have entrenched them- 
selves is assailed, is proof that they doubt the impreg- 
nability of their position. The man who is afraid of 
Truth, or fears that she cannot take care of herself, or 
that it is not for the interest of the people to know 
the whole truth, is a traitor to God, to truth, and to 
man. 

As to the religious and moral truths taught in the 
New Testament, such as the existence of God, his 



42. THE PRO AND CON OF 

fatherhood, the brotherhood of the race, the immor- 
tality of man and the golden rule, they need no con- 
firmation from miracles, from books nor from men. 
They are their own authority and their own proof. 
They have the " witness of the spirit," and "the 
spirit is given to every man to profit with all." All 
forms of religion contain the elements of one univers- 
al religion. The dogma it is that has set man at war 
with man. More religion and less dogma the great 
want of humanity. 
Header, both sides are before you, judge ye what is 

right. 



SUPiiKNATUKAL KELIGICXN. 43 



i PART IV. 

Particular Remarks on the Supernatural Origin of Chris- 
tianity, and Statement of the Views of Rationalists 
on Inspiration, Revelation, and Religion. 

The Epistles usually attributed to Paul are his gen- 
uine writings, except that to the Hebrews. This lat- 
ter was written by some learned Jew, who was a con- 
vert to Christianity. The authors of these epistles 
were to a great extent the real founders of Christian- 
ity, i. e.y in the form in which it exists in the creeds of 
the various Christian sects. The doctrines of these 
creeds are based more on these epistles (not always 
correctly interpreted, to be sure), than on the teach- 
ings of Christ recorded in the four Gospels. To 
these epistles we are indebted for the origin of the 
doctrines of the Fall, Original Sin, Total Depravity, 
Predestination, Election and Reprobation, Miraculous 
Change of Nature, Vicarious Atonement and Univer- 
sal Salvation, by Christ. 

The difficulty to account for the origin of Christian- 
ity, without supposing it to have been established by 
supernatural and miraculous means I fully appreciate. 
The problem was to me a puzzle and a mystery for 
years. It was only after long and diligent research 
and investigation, that I was able to arrive at a satis- 
factory conclusion. I have been abundantly reward- 
ed for my pains. It is now clear to me that it is no 



44 THE PKO AND CON OF 

more difficult to account for the origin of Christianity 
than for the origin of Brahminism in India, Confu- 
cianism in China, Parseeism in Persia, Mohammedan- 
ism in Turkey, or Mormonism in the United States. 

We will state what are the main facts bearing on 
the question, and the conclusions to be deduced from 
these facts. Modern criticism has proved, so far as * 
the nature of the case admits of proof, 

1. That the five books of the Old Testament, com- 
monly attributed to Moses, were not written by him, 
but were compiled hundreds of years after his death, 
partly from some fragments left by him and others, 
and partly from oral tradition. 

2. The other books of the Old Testament are made 
up of partly genuine, and partly spurious writings. 

3. The Gospels were not written by the Evangelists 
to whom they are ascribed — i. e. , in the form in which 
we now have them — but were compiled after the death 
of their reported authors, partly from records left by 
them, to which many additions were made derived 
from oral tradition. 

4. Notwithstanding, the Bible contains many valua- 
ble and important truths, noble and sublime senti- 
ments, excellent moral precepts and many beauties, 
we are not warranted to believe that they had any 
other than a perfectly natural origin. 

5. The numerous mistakes, errors, contradictions, 
inconsistencies and absurdities contained in the Bible, 
justify us in believing that it is not an infallible stand- 
ard of truth, not authoritative in its teachings, not the 
product of supernatural inspiration, and that nothing 
is to be believed simply because it is taught in that 
book. 

6. The several books of the Old and New Testament 



SUPERNATURAL RELIGION. 45 

were compiled, collected and published in two separ- 
ate volumes by fallible men, who acted without any- 
direct divine sanction or authority. 

7. Christianity is not a sup ernatur ally revealed and 
inspired religion, miraculously authenticated, but is a 
natural product of the human mind ; the result of long 
ages of progress and development of religious thought 
and ideas. 

Without doubt many of the marvelous stories re- 
corded in the Bible had a historic basis, but they were 
not recorded at the time the events are said to have 
occurred, but long after, and at a time when the orig- 
inal facts had become greatly exaggerated. The com- 
piler and writer believed them to be true, and they 
obtained ready evidence among a people who were 
very ignorant, very credulous, full of the belief in 
supernaturalism, and ready to endorse anything that 
tended to glorify their nation or their religion. 

Nevertheless, there is in the books both of the Old 
and New Testaments quite an element of pious fraud 
and imposition. Almost all history is written in the 
interest of a nation, party or sect, Bible history not 
excepted. A comparison of the books of kings and 
chronicles, shows that the latter was written in the 
interest of the kingdom of Judah, and with a view to 
glorify David the great Thecesatic king. Hence, it 
omits all mention of some of the worst acts of David* 
and represents him to have been a peculiar and excep- 
tional favorite of heaven. The book of kings is far 
more candid and impartial, and tells the whole truth 
about the personal character of David and the doings 
of his kingdom. Between these two books there are 
other conflicting statements which no ingenuity has 
succeeded in reconciling. 



46 THE PRO AND CON OF 

The gospels — however blind some may be to the 
fact — bear internal evidence of having been written in 
a partizan spirit and with a polemic aim. The first 
and third gospels especially, were written to prove 
that Christ was the true Jewish Messiah. To prove 
this, they relied mainly on establishing that he poss- 
essed miraculous powers. Hence, they exaggerated 
purely natural occurencies into miracles, and collected 
and recorded all the wild and extravagant legends 
that had descended to their day and with which the 
air was filled. In order to make it appear that Christ 
answered to the description of the Jewish Messiah 
contained in the Old Testament, who, it was supposed, 
must be a descendant of David, they related the silly, 
ridiculous and absurd legend relating to his miracu- 
lous birth ; a story which defeats its own object, inas- 
much, as if it proves anything, it is, that he was in 
nowise a blood relation of that personage. Besides, 
the legend is self contradictory, and contains many 
genealogical mistakes and errors. In order to prove 
that he was a subject of prophecy, they quote and 
apply to him passages which have no more relation to 
him than to Josephus, or any other man conspicuous 
in Jewish history of that time. 

The fourth gospel was written to prove not only 
that Christ was Messiah, but that he had a pre-exist- 
ence and answered to the LogoS of Plato. It is the 
production of an Alexandrine Christian, who sought 
to blend the philosophy of Plato with Christianity, 
and thereby commend it to the favor of the Pagan 
philosophers. This book, the writings of Paul, and 
the epistle to the Hebrews, constitute the first great 
departure from the simplicity of the teachings of 
Christ, which finally culminated in the establishment 



SUPERNATURAL RELIGION. 47 

of that particular form of Christianity known as 
Catholicism. Let it be remembered that at the time 
when these books were written it was an almost uni- 
versally j^ceived maxim, that it was right to lie for 
the truth, and to deceive those who require to be 
deceived. Nothing was more common than to forge 
books and ascribe their authorship to distinguished 
persons in order to give them authority among the 
common people. We may state, also, that of all the 
miracles recorded in the Bible not one was ever sub- 
mitted to a scientific test. 

The early history of every nation is a mixture of 
truth and falsehood, fact and fiction, legend and tra- 
dition. Even our own early history is by no means 
entirely destitute of the mythologic element. How 
much more is this true of Jewish history and of the 
history of Christianity ? 

The whole superstructure of supernatural Christian- 
ity is made to rest by Paul on the fact of the resur- 
rection of Christ from the dead. Now, that this al- 
leged fact is intrinsically improbable no one will 
deny. It ought, then to be sustained by the most un- 
impeachable testimony, the most indubitable evi- 
dence ; but we have not the direct testimony of a 
single eye witness of the event. Not one of the New 
Testament writers says he was present and saw him 
rise. The four different accounts of the affair are 
conflicting. The only points in which they agree, 
are : first, that Christ's body was laid in the tomb of 
a man who was a friend to him ; and second, that 
when the tomb was visited on Sunday morning the 
body was not there ; both of which statements we can 
very readily believe, without supposing that the body 
was dead when placed there, or that a man who was 



48 THE FRO AND CON OF 

really dead had been restored to life. It is much 
easier to believe that the body was in a state of swoon, 
from which it was restored and afterwards released 
from the tomb ; or, that if dead, the body%as taken 
away by secret friends and kept oui; of sight. We have 
plenty of witnesses who say " ?w was seen alive" after 
his crucifixion; but not one who says, Isawhim, except 
Paul, and he only in a vision. I need not say that 
such testimony is not within the rules of evidence, 
nor that it would not be admitted to prove anything 
in a court of justice, especially so astounding an oc- 
currence as the resurrection of a dead man to life and 
his subsequent ascension into heaven. 

There is much better evidence to prove that mira- 
cles equally astounding as any recorded in the Bible, 
were wrought in the second, third and fourth centu- 
ries of the Christian era. For, in the latter case, we 
have the testimony of hundreds of persons, and among 
them, no less than nine Bishops of the Church who 
affirm in the most solemn manner that they saw these 
miracles wrought. And even in our own day — if we 
can credit human testimony on this subject — the world 
is full of miracles. In our own country — the most en- 
lightened in the world — within the past half century, 
we have seen a Matthias pursuading otherwise intelli- 
gent men to believe, not only that he was a prophet 
of the Lord, but that he was the very and eternal God 
himself. We have witnessed the rise of a sect of 
Keligionists who have sent their apostles to every 
civilized nation on the globe ; making converts in 
each, and basing their claims mainly on the possession 
of miraculous powers. We have seen another sect 
arise, claiming, not miraculous powers to be sure, but 
extraordinary gifts of healing, prophecy, inspiration. 



SUPERNATURAL RELIGION. 40 

direct revelation, etc., and they have made more con- 
verts in thirty years than Christianity did in three 
centuries. The power to work miracles has always 
been claimed by the Catholic Church, and the same 
claim is made by the Mormon Church. We have the 
testimony under oath of living men who certify that 
they were eye witnesses of the miracles said to have 
been wrought by Joe Smith, the founder of the Mor- 
mon Church. And that Church, too, claims to have 
a book containing a supernatural and miraculous rev- 
elation from God. If such things can be in this age 
of the world, what might not have been done eighteen 
hundred years ago ? 

But, we shall be told — as we have been thousands of 
times — that to the Bible we are indebted for onr civil- 
ization, refinement of manners, elevation of character, 
and for the progress of science and the arts. I greatly 
marvel that an argument for the supernatural origin 
of the Bible, should be based on this ground. The 
facts do not sustain it. Civilization existed before the 
Bible was known. The Hebrew Bible did not elevate 
the Jews in the scale of civilization above the Pagan 
nations around them did not make them any less cruel, 
treacherous nor inhuman; -nor any more honest or 
faithful. It did not prevent them from carrying on a war 
of invasion against the inhabitants of Canaan, and on the 
plea that they were Idolators, and therefore, abhor ed 
of God, making an indiscriminate slaughter of all who 
would not submit to their authority and give up to 
them their possessions. It did not prevent a civil war 
among them, nor the establishment of two separate 
kingdoms, between which an almost incessant war was 
carried on for hundreds of years. It did not hinder 
them from siding with the priests in their antagonism 



60 THE PKO AftD CON OF 

to the prophets, nor from persecuting these, the best 
men of their nation "from city to city." In spite of 
the Bible, they set up in both kingdoms that very 
idolatry which they came there ostensibly to destro}'. 
It did. not save them from being proved haughty, 
dictatorial, exclusive and domineering ; nor did its 
influence stay the hand of vengeance against Jesus 
Christ, the greatest living teacher of his time. 

In our time, to the Hebrew Bible, we have super- 
added the Christian Bible, the latter supposed to be 
an improvement on the other. Both are bound in the 
same volume and we have the influence of both. We 
shall speak of it as one. That its influence has been 
salutary in many respects we very cheerfully grant ; 
but we claim that this is owing not to its being accept- 
ed as a supernatural revelation, but to the plain, 
practical, and common sense moral truths which it 
contains. It is these that give it its vitality and its 
hold on the veneration and love of mankind. It is 
these that have saved it from oblivion. Instead of its 
having been a great instrument in promoting science 
and civilization, the car of human progress has rolled 
on, and science and civilization have prospered in spite 
of its influence. Scarcely a scientific truth has been 
discovered, or a reform proposed that has not been 
opposed by the whole weight and power of the 
Church, which is the depository of the Bible. The 
Church opposed the doctrines of modern astronomers 
and geologists and philosophers, until the advanced 
opinions of the people compelled it to relax some- 
what. In the incipient stages of the temperance and 
anti-slavely reforms, the Church arrayed itself against 
them. And how is it with Christian nations as com- 
pared with others not Christian ? Are they any more 



SUPERNATURAL RELIGION. 51 

faithful to their treaties than the Turks ? Any more 
peaceable than the Chinese^ the Japanese, or the 
Hindoos ? I hesitate not to say, that in all the records 
of knavery and cruelty we shall sear^Ji in vain to find 
a parallel to the frauds, cruelties, inhumanities and 
enormities that have been perpetrated by men who 
professed to receive the Bible as a revelation from 
God, and to be guided by its precepts. Witness the 
treachery to his own kindred, the fratricidal and mat- 
ricidal murders of Constantine, the first Christian 
emperor, whose pr.vate character was even worse 
than that of Caligula or Nero. Remember the per- 
secutions of each other of the two great branches of 
the Church, viz : the Catholic and Protestant, carried 
on for years and involving the destruction of millions 
of human lives. Think of the horrors of the massacre 
on St. Bartholomew's day. Call to mind the history 
of the Inquisition, that terrible engine of destruction 
which existed during five centuries ; during which 
every possible engine of torture that ingenuity could 
invent, was employed to inflict suffering and death on 
the bodies and minds of innocent persons. Recollect 
the thirty years religious wars in Germany, the nu- 
merous wars that have been carried on in Europe by 
the Christian kings and princes of that country ; no- 
tice the treatment of the natives of this country by 
their Christian conquerors, the stupenduous frauds 
that were practised upon them, and the vices that 
were introduced among them ; see the Christian 
government of England deriving a large revenue from 
India by taxing the inhabitants for the privilege of 
worshiping Jugernaut ; see her send her mission- 
aries of the gospel, and her men of war into the ports 
of China compelling the inhabitants to accept her 



52 THE PRO AND CON OF 

missionaries and buy her opium, under the penalty 
of having their cities bombarded and their lives de- 
stroyed by the murderous cannon. Look now to our 
country and reject on our late war, carried on by 
fellow-Christians and fellow-countrymen. How terri- 
ble the conflict, how fierce the combatants, what woe, 
what sorrow, what desolation, what destruction of 
property and life ; and yet the two contending parties 
were cheered on, and sometimes led by men who, 
not only believed in the Bible, but professed to be the 
ordained teachers of the gospel of the Prince of Peace, 
whose mission to our world they admitted to be a 
mission of peace and good will to men. Instances 
have been known of clergymen appealing to the Bible 
to sanction the greatest of outrages, even the seduction 
of youth and innocence. 

When I reflect on the crimes against humanity, I 
am led to exclaim, are these the actions of men, or is 
the idea true that infernals have assumed the shape 
and appeared in the guise of men ? Where, in all the 
history of the world, is there a parallel to these enor- 
mities ? Do the Pagan nations persecute, destroy and 
war with each other on account of their religion ? 
Do men of science, philosophers, and so called Infi- 
dels war upon each other on account of their differ- 
ences of opinion ? But if they do not, why not ? 
Simply, because they do not believe that the interest 
of religion can be promoted by striking down the 
liberty of thought and speech, and the right of every 
human being to believe whatever approves itself to his 
judgment. They are the friends of free toleration, 
Freethought, free investigation, free discussion and 
the liberty of the human mind. 

The believers in Bible supernaturalism claim — as 



SUPERNATURAL RELIGION. 53 

all supernaturalists claim — that they have a God- 
ordained priesthood, whose function it is, by precept 
and example, to lead men to the practice of every 
virtue. But what has been the .history of priests in 
all countries and in all ages ? Are they exempt from 
the vices against which they declaim ? Are they any 
less selfish, mercenary lovers of the good things of 
this world and of the indulgence of their passions 
than the average of other men ? I shrink from the 
task of detailing the horrors of their record. I hesitate 
not to say that no class of educated professional men 
but what can show a cleaner record. The labors, in- 
vestigations, discoveries and disclosures of lawyers, 
physicians and scientists have been of incalculable 
benefit to the world. But the priests, what have they 
done ? They have filled the world with piles on piles 
of books, pamphlets and tracts, filled with the silliest 
nonsense and trash. Priestcraft and kingcraft are 
twin brothers, they act in harmony and concert togeth- 
er ; they have filled the world with carnage and blood 
ever since the organization of human society ; they have 
robbed men by confiscation of more property than all 
other robbers ; filched more money out of mens' 
pockets by frauds in dealing in the relics and rotten 
bones of saints and martyrs than all other thieves ; 
caused more human suffering and tears, made more 
widows and orphans than all other human causes 
combined ; they have inflicted more tortures than all 
other savages, and destroyed more lives than all other 
murderers. The Jewish priesthood began with Aaron, 
who manufactured an idol in the shape of a golden 
calf for the people to worship, and then told a delib- 
erate falsehood in order to hide his iniquity. It ended 
in the crucifixion of Christ. The example oi Aaron 



54 THE PRO AND CON OF 

has been imitated by multitudes of his successors; the 
priests were denounced and their time-serving policy 
exposed by the prophets, and in their official capacity 
they were scorned and condemned by the teacher, 
Christ. Everywhere they have proved themselves to 
be tyrants over the human mind, intolerant, opposed 
to human progress, unless in the direction marked 
out by them, and dealing out damnation to every one 
who dares to dissent from their opinions, or question 
their authority. In fine, they have in some instances 
" exalted themselves above all that can be called God 
or is worshiped, " and in other cases assumed to be the 
vicegerents of God on earth, the only medium through 
which God's blessings could flow to mankind. 

It is in no carping spirit that these statements are 
made, nor with any desire to slander, abuse or wound 
a single human being. These are not the sayings of 
a mad man. Sincerely do I wish that I could say in 
all honesty and truth, that they are false ; but they 
are truths, every one, and being so, are necessary to 
my argument. I now appeal to the reader, and ask 
him to lay his hand upon his heart and answer 
me. Have we not a right to expect from a people 
claiming a God-given revelation, constituting an in- 
fallible guide, a God-ordained Church, and a God- 
appointed ministry better things than these ? Do not 
the facts, then, prove that the arrogant claims and 
pretensions of these men ought to be discarded by 
every rational man ? 

I may be asked if I thus impeach all of the clergy ? 
By no means ; God forbid that I should make so false 
and foolish a charge. No, the question has two sides, 
and I have been speaking on one side only and in 
general terms. I am by no means insensible to the 



SUPERNATURAL RELIGION. 55 

fact that there are among the believers in supernatu- 
ralisin, both of the clergy and laity, some as good men 
as ever existed ; some of them I number on my list of 
choicest friends, around whom are entwined my 
heart's best affections. To the credit and honor of 
human nature I am glad and proud to say that the 
priesthood and the Church have produced many as 
noble specimens of humanity as ever dignified and 
adorned our race ; men as wise, as great, and good as 
any other ; But what I claim is that they are not good 
because they believe as they do, but they are made so 
by reason of their natural character, dispositions and 
superior cultivation and development. They are 
good Christians. They would have been good Mus- 
selmen, or Hindoos, or Deists, or Free Religionists. 
We have good men outside of the Church as well as 
in it ; good men of all forms of religion ; good men of 
all sects and of no sect. Men we have, good as any, 
who have no faith whatever in any form of supernat- 
uralism. They are good, not because they are unbe- 
lievers, but for the reason mentioned before. 

Nor am I blind to the beauties of the Bible ; but if 
it contains beauties, it also contains deformities. If it 
fills the minds of some with the most comforting 
hopes, it fills the minds of others with the most tor- 
menting and distressing fears. If to some it imparts 
joy and peace, to others it imparts sorrow and gloom; 
if it makes some happy, it makes others miserable. 
The eloquent Saurin, a French divine, admitted 
that it had the effect on him to make "food insip- 
id, society irksome, and life itself a cruel bitter." 
The influence of the book, then, in the one direction 
neutralizes its influence in the other. "We can con- 
serve all its good influence and prevent the bad by 



56 THE PBO AND CON OP 

abandoning our belief in its authority and infallibility. 

If we reject the Bible in this sense, do we reject 
the idea of the existence of any such thing as revela- 
tion and inspiration ? Far from it. But we claim, 
that "it is not necessary for God to speak in an audi- 
ble voice in order to reveal himself and make his will 
known." And we affirm that ever since men took it 
into their heads to make him speak, each one makes 
him speak in his own way and say what he thinks he 
ought to say. Our book of Eevelation includes the 
Bible and all other books. It is the volume of na- 
ture. God reveals himself in the laws and phenomena 
of nature, and in the powers and faculties of the 
human soul. He speaks to us in the sun and moon ; 
in every star that shines in the blue vault above ; in 
the globe which we inhabit; in the great ocean of 
waters; in every lake and pond; in every river, rivulet 
and spring; in the mountains, hills and plains; in every 
spire of grass; in every plant and shrub and tree that 
grows; in every flower that blooms; in ever}' shower 
of rain ; in storms and tempests ; in volcanoes and 
earthquakes ; in the lightning and thunder ; in every 
movement of the mind'; in every feeling and emotion 
of the heart ; in every sensation we experience ; in 
every object that meets the eye, and in every sound 
that greets the ear. 

As to inspiration, we believe as the Bible teaches, 
that ' ' there is a spirit in man, and the inspiration of 
the Almighty giveth him understanding. " We cannot 
believe that for a period of four thousand years, God 
confined his gifts of revelation and inspiration to a 
comparatively small nation of people inhabiting an 
insignificant portion of the earth, to the entire neglect 
of all the rest of mankind. We regard such an idea 



SUPERNATURAL RELIGION. 57 

as too monstrous a reflection on his character — an 
impeachment of his partiality and goodness. God's 
sunshine and rain descends upon all ; why should not 
his blessings of revelation and inspiration ? Yes, we 
believe in inspiration, but it is universal. All are in- 
spired, but not all in the same degree ; some more, 
some less, each one according to his deserving and 
capacity ; none to a degree that makes them infallible. 
Those who are the most inspired are the natural 
teachers of those below them. God has given them 
their credentials, noble intellects, hearts that beat 
high in humanity's cause, and an irrepressible spirit 
which makes each one feel, woe is me if I proclaim 
not God's truth. "The world is their parish, and 
mankind universally are their parishioners." They 
feel that they have a mission on earth, and until that 
is accomplished no harm can befall them. God's in- 
spiration and revelation cannot be confined within 
the lids of any book, nor the limits of any one man's 
mind, nor to a single nation only ; not to only one 
quarter of the globe. The true light, as saith the 
scriptures, "enlighteneth every man that cometh into 
the world." That the Jewish prophets were inspired 
we do not doubt ; so were Confucius, Buddha and 
Mahomet, so was Christ and his Apostles, and Christ 
more than all who had gone before him. Paul was 
inspired more than all the rest of the apostles put 
together. He dared to put the spirit above the letter 
of inspiration, and to teach that in all cases where 
there was a conflict between them the letter must 
yield. No doubt the Bible contains revelations from 
God ; but the book itself is thevwork of human hands 
and bears distinct marks of its human origin. JSTo 
doubt God spake to Moses ; but in the same way that 



58 THE PBO AND CON OF 

he has always been speaking to the human race. In 
the infancy of the race his voice is only faintly heard 
because the peoples' hearing is indistinct ; but as the 
race progresses and intellect and moral sense is more 
developed, his voice is more distinctly heard and 
better comprehended. Inspiration, then, is progres- 
sive ; the final word has not yet been spoken. Reve- 
lation is more full and complete to-day than ever 
before ; but we may expect even greater revelations 
in the future. The difference between us and other 
religionists is not that we believe less, but a great deal 
more. 

Our God is the power that controls the universe of 
matter; mind and morals ; the all-powerful, wise and 
good. Our Church is the whole world ; the members 
of it the entire race of man. If some are bad members 
it is the duty of the rest to make them better. Our 
Temple is all space. Our altar is " earth, sea and 
skies." Our sacrifices and hymns of praise are joyful 
and thankful hearts. Our prayers are good desires 
and wishes, accompanied by corresponding acts and 
deeds. We endeavor to manifest our regard and 
reverence for the Supreme Being, by discharging with 
fidelity the duties of life and doing good to our fellow- 
men. Upon our altars no victims die ; no blood is 
shed; no offering is presented of burning flesh or 
sweet scented herbs. "We never presume to offer aid 
to almighty power ; to counsel infinite wisdom ; to 
communicate intelligence to omnicience, nor to desire 
to avert the judgments of immaculate purity and jus- 
tice; nor to try to make infinite love more kind to hi? 
creatures." We tolerate all opinions, and persecute, 
for none. We seek to combat ignorance and super- 
stition, not by force and violence, but by impartinjr 



SUPERNATURAL RELIGION. 59 

knowledge and instruction. We endeavor to lead the 
erring from vice and to the practice of virtue, not by 
threats and denunciations, but by mild reproof and 
gentle pursuasion. We worship God, not so much 
by set forms and ceremonies and prescribed rules, as 
by doing good to each other. We use no signs, sym- 
bols, amulets or charms. We fear no devils worse than 
men carry in their own bosoms. We make no pil- 
grimages to Mecca, to the Ganges, nor to Jerusalem. 
We are not solitaries, recluses, monks, nuns, anchor- 
ites, misanthropes nor pillar saints. We do not be- 
lieve that the owl is a better bird for his gravity, nor 
the lark a worse one for his merry notes ; nor that a 
man's religion can be measured by the length of his 
face. We believe in cultivating cheerfulness, mirth 
and laughter ; in manifesting a spirit of kindness to 
all men without exception, the bad as well as good, 
and to everything that lives and breathes. We be- 
lieve in making men good by making them happy. 
We believe that the most acceptable return we can 
make for all our blessings is to be thankful for them 
and enjoy them, and that in so doing we only obey 
God. We do not fast nor torture our bodies for the 
good of our souls. We do not spend our days in 
gloom and sorrow, and fancy that by so doing we are 
serving either God or man. We fear no truth, and 
accept without hesitation from whatever source, 
whatever appears to be true, and as unhesitatingly re- 
ject what we deem to be false. We endeavor to cul- 
tivate a sufficient amount of manhood, moral courage 
and heroism, to fearlessly avow our honest opinions. 

If we reject the idea of the supernatural origin of 
the Bible and of its absolute authority and infallibili- 
ty, do we reject the beautiful moral and religious pre- 



60 THE PRO AND CON OF 

cepts, the sublime and elevating sentiments contained 
in the Old and New Testaments ? Surely not ; or in 
accepting these, must we endorse the gross, vulgar 
ideas, the incredible statements, the unreasonable, 
absurd doctrines therein contained ? If we read in a 
book that two and two are four, and in the same book 
that two and two are ten, if we believe the last, 
must we, in order to be consistent deny also the first ? 
But this is precisely what is meant when we are told 
that if we reject one part of the Bible we must disbe- 
lieve the whole. Again, if we reject the supernatural- 
ism of Christianity, do we therefore renounce all re- 
ligion ? As well might we renounce our nature, or 
our manhood. The Bible did not make religion, nor 
is it dependent on it. Religion existed before there 
was any Bible. It had its birth in the heart of the 
first man that ever lived. Moses, Abraham, Isaac 
and Jacob, Socrates, Plato and Seneca were religious 
men ; but they never saw the Bible. The same causes 
that made them religious can make us also. Religion 
has its foundation in the nature and constitution of 
men. Human religion has no existence outside of 
human nature. It cannot be infused into man nor 
engrafted on him ; it has its seat, its root, its germ in 
the heartr All true religion must be of the heart and 
be developed within. If all the Bibles in the world 
of every name were exterminated, religion, however 
much it might suffer from the loss of what is good and 
true contained in thern, would still survive the shock 
and re-appear in all its inherent power and splendor. 

Tell me not, then, that Rationalists are Infidels to 
religion, when I know that their belief is that religion 
stands in no need of falsehoods, deception, pious 
frauds, supernatural agencies nor miracles to support 



SUPERNATURAL RELIGION. 61 

it, and that in no way can it be destroyed except by 
exterminating the human race. , Religion is goodness, 
and just as much goodness as there is in the world, in 
so much is the world blessed by religion. In pro- 
portion as goodness is developed in the individual 
man and carried out by him in practice, in that pro- 
portion he is religious. Eeligion existed before writ- 
ing was known or books made, or ever ceremonials 
instituted, creeds drawn up, or a priesthood establish- 
ed. It will remain even if all these should be swept 
away. 

But "how about theological doctrines ?" it may be 
asked. Ah! we have now introduced the great bone 
of contention which for ages has agitated the relig- 
ious world, producing confusion, strife and conten- 
tion, and almost, if not quite, neutralizing the benefi- 
cial influence of religion among men. In regard to 
theological dogmas, each man must be his own judge. 
In so far as men form their own opinions, each man's 
opinion will be a bantling of his own — a child of his 
own creation. He will manifest toward it parental 
affection, he will defend it when attacked, and assert, 
as many do about their children, that it is the bigest, 
handsomest, brightest and best that the human mind 
ever gave birth to. It has been well said that " it is 
with our opinions as with our watches, those of oth- 
ers go too fast or too slow, ours only, keeps the true 
hour of the day. " It is only men of refinement and 
culture that can rise superior to this narrow and sel- 
fish prejudice. Men's judgments differ, and, there- 
fore, there will be differences of opinions among 
them. We have nothing to do with the opinions of 
others except to tolerate them, and correct them if we 
can, if we deem them to be erroneous, by argument 



62 THE PRO AND CON OF 

and persuasion. Until we practice on this principle, 
there can be no peace. The good man practices re- 
ligion irrespective of creed, sect or party, and hence 
it is, that we have good men of every faith. If any 
creed beneath the heavens could be supposed to have 
power to drive out the last vestige of goodness from 
the human heart, it is that of St. Augustine and John 
Calvin. It asserts, in the most plain and unqualified 
terms, the utter vileness of human nature, and that 
the manner of life and ultimate destiny of each indi- 
vidual* of the human race is fixed and determined by 
the absolute, unalterable, unchangeable and irrevers- 
able decree of the Almighty, without regard to the 
goodness or badness of the persons. And yet, among the 
believers in this creed have been found many as good 
men as ever lived on earth. Men, then, are sometimes 
good in spite of their creeds. But however at vari- 
ance men may be in respect to their creeds, goodness 
is recognized everywhere. God has set his seal upon 
it, and it passes current all over the world, in all 
ranks, classes and conditions of men, without one 
solitary exception. Even the vilest of the vile respect, 
honor and applaud the good man. 

But I am often asked, "how without .supernatural 
revelation are we to know anything about God and 
immortality ?" Long before the Bible existed men 
believed in God. No man can believe in God unless 
he feels God within. This, in a different form of 
words, was one of the maxims of the great teacher 
Christ, and is a profound truth. The pure in heart 
see God. None others can see him. Bad men, may 
believe in a God, but it is not the true God. Like the 
devils spoken of in the Bible, they "believe and 
tremble." Their God is only a reflex image of them- 



SUPERNATURAL RELIGION. 63 

selves. The man who believes in God may not be 
able to define him even to his own satisfaction. He 
may not be able to comprehend his mode of existence, 
or to conceive him as having form, shape, size or lo- 
cality. But whoever believes in the existence of om- 
nipotent power, directed by infinite wisdom and good- 
ness, and that this power has established the govern- 
ment of the Universe on the basis of exact and equal 
justice to all his dependent creatures, thereby securing 
absolute recompense to all exactly according to their 
deserts ; and, furthermore, that although he shows no 
special favor to any, he takes infinite pains to secure 
the interest of the race, and that whatever benefits he 
confers on the race will be ultimately participated in 
by every individual of the race ; whoever, I say, be- 
lieves this, believes in God. 

* The doctrine of immorality was not first announc- 
ed in the Bible, nor is it proved by it. Some of the 
Scripture writers express strong doubts on the sub- 
ject. Only one attempted to prove it, viz : Paul, and 
he rests it on a very precarious foundation — the alleg- 
ed fact vouched for by himself, on hearsay testimony, 
of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. 
This alleged fact is quite as difficult to prove as the 
doctrine which is made to depend on it. The only 
other argument for it in the Bible is that attributed to 
Cinist in his reported conversation with the Sadduc- 
ers. When we examine it, we find it to be a mere 
play upon words, a verbal quibble, which attributes 
to the Old Testament writers thoughts which they did 
not intend to express, a proceeding quite unworthy 
of Christ, if, indeed, he was guilty of it, which is 
more than can be known. 
The doctrines of God and immortality are true if 



64 THE PKO AND CON OP 

true at all irrespective of the Bible. They are true 
not because they are taught there, but they are taught 
there because they are true. These doctrines are to 
be believed, if believed at all, not because they can be 
proved by logical argument, but because they meet 
with a response from the inmost depths of the human 
soul. No man of independent thought can believe in 
immortality who does not feel himself to be immor- 
tal. And he will feel himself to be so in proportion 
as he becomes " pure in heart." At all events, he will 
be resigned to his lot, and accept as the best good 
whatever destiny the God of purity, justice and good- 
ness may please to assign him. 

The truly good man, who is enlightened, as well as 
good, will practice goodness because he loves it, and 
for its own sake. He is not moved to action by con- # 
siderations of reward in another state of being, nor 
deterred from vice by fear of punishment. He claims 
no merit, however meritorious ; no reward, however 
deserving. He has faith in God, in human nature, in 
truth and goodness, and truth and goodness are to 
him all in all. He does not fear to have his princi- 
ples examined, investigated and scrutinized. He 
does not deprecate fair manly discussion and contro- 
versy, for he knows that God is on the side of truth, 
?*nd that the more it is examined the brighter it will 
appear. He puts his trust in God, and has no fear of 
what devils or men can do unto him. Goodness is 
his comfort in life ; his consolation and support in 
that great event in the history of us all which we call 
death. Great is goodness. May it ultimately per- 
vade the heart and mind of every human being. ' 'Let 
every thing that hath breath praise the Lord," and 
may all the people say, Amen, 



SUPERNATURAL RELIGION. 65 

'Twas thus the Royal mandate ran. 
When first the human race began ; 
The social, friendly, honest man, 

'Tishe; 
Fulfils great nature's law, 

And none but he." 



66 THE PRO AND CON OF 



PART V. 

Review of the evidence in favor of Miracles, and of tlie 
authenticity of the New Testament. 

The substance of the best things that can be said in 
favor of miracles, and of the authenticity of the New 
Testament may be summed up in the following prop- 
ositions: 

1. There is an antecedent probability in favor of 
miracles as a means of authenticating revelation. 2. 
The doctrines of the Bible are of such a nature as to 
prove the book divine. 3. It is impossible to ac- 
count for the existence of so many marvelous stories 
in the New Testament, only by supposing either that 
they are true, or that the Evangelists were guilty of 
wilfully falsifying in order to deceive. 4. Variations 
in the accounts of the Bible writers is no proof that 
what they record is false, inasmuch as " substantial 
agreement with circumstantial variety is character- 
istic of all human testimony." 

I. The antecedent probability. Miracles, it is said, 
are necessary in order to authenticate revelation. 
This we deny, and therefore deny the probability of 
them. If God wished his creatures to be religious, 
the probability is, he would make them naturally so, 
and not so arrange the order of nature as to make it 
necessary to break in upon and clisturb the natural 



SUPERNATURAL RELIGION. 67 

order in revealing himself and making his will known. 
Accordingly, we find that man is endowed by nature 
with religious powers and faculties — that the germ of 
religion is planted in his heart and mind. That in 
the infancy, of the human race and while in a barba- 
rous condition, the religious sentiments should be 
comparatively latent or but feebly manifested, and 
often misdirected is no more strange than that the 
reasoning powers of man should be in the same con- 
dition, or that we should be born into existence with 
all our powers both of bod}' and mind in a latent 
condition. 

It is generally admitted that miracles are intrinsic- 
ally improbable and incredible. If, then, it was 
necessary for God to make a special revelation to man 
and to authenticate it by miracles, the amount of 
proof of the miracles ought to correspond to their in- 
credibility. If we ask for proof of the miracles, we 
are told that the Bible is authority for them. But 
how can an incredible thing be authenticated by an 
authority which itself needs authentication? 

2. The doctrines of the Bible. If they were all new 
and true that would not prove that they were specially 
revealed; nor that they w T ere above the conception of 
the human mind. Besides, there is no religious doc- 
trine or moral precept, no rite, ceremony or institu- 
tion taught in the Old Testament, that had not its 
counterpart in the opinions and religions of the Pagan 
nations existing when the Hebrew Bible was written. 
And all the real doctrines and precepts taught by 
Christ, as well as all that have been incorporated with 
them, have their counterpart in the teachings of men 
who preceded him by several centuries. 

3. Were Christ and his disciples impostors? In re- 



68 THE PRO AND CON OF 

gard to Christ, it is sufficient to say, that as he left no 
record of his life or teachings, and did not authorize 
any one to make such a record for him ; and as there 
is abundant evidence in the record which we have 
that it attributes to him sayings that he did not say, 
and doings which he never did, it is impossible to tell 
what ne did or did not say and do. As for the Evan- 
gelists, it has never been proved that they were the 
authors of the books usually ascribed to them. The 
weight of evidence, and even of authority of learned 
divines, is that they were not. But suppose they 
were. Then we shall be asked "if the miracles re- 
corded in the four gospels were not wrought, how 
came the writers to believe that they were ?" It will be 
said, "these men had common sense; they were capa- 
ble of judging; they make no attempt at exaggeration, 
and they record the miracles in a simple, artless 
manner, as any historian would record events of com- 
mon occurrence. " Here we must proceed with 
caution. This is a vital point. This argumeut is not 
to be treated with a sneer, nor passed by as of no 
consequence. Before we proceed to comment on it 
we must warn the reader that it will not do to transfer 
our knowledge, opinions, views and feelings to the 
men of those ancient times. To do so, is a fallacy so 
glaring that we marvel that it should be so generally 
overlooked. Undoubtedly if some one in our day 
should claim the power to work miracles, such as 
raising the dead, &c, we should be exceedingly in- 
credulous, and would not believe only after the 
closest scrutiny and the v presentation of an over- 
whelming amount of evidence. But with the Evan- 
gel .fcts, the case was quite different. They lived in 
aa age and among a people who knew but little about 



SUPERNATURAL RELTGION. 69 

nature and her laws; a people who were exceedingly 
credulous and superstitious, and believed that mira- 
cles were wrought almost every day in their public 
streets. All the common and ordinary phenomena 
of nature they attributed to the direct agency of God 
or the Devil. 

The Evangelists were Jews. They believed 
that in all past time God had wrought miracles in 
behalf of his chosen people, and that the time had 
arrived when there was to be the grandest display of 
almighty power for the redemption of the Jews from 
their bondage and degradation. Nothing was more 
natural then, than that they should expect from a man 
who claimed to be a religious reformer and deliverer, 
that he should work miracles. Hence, when they saw 
things done which they deemed miraculous it excited 
in them no surprise. The only thing that surprised 
them was that the miracles were so different in kind 
from what they were expecting. Christ was a re- 
markable man, commanding in his appearance, voice 
and manner. He possessed a great share of that per- 
sonal, mysterious magnetism, which has been so 
often displayed by other men. He taught doctrines 
which were adapted to the wants of the common peo- 
ple. His miracles, such as healing the sick, restoring 
sight to the blind and hearing to the deaf, were such 
as are wrought at the present day; but which no one 
supposes to be miraculous. The power to cast out 
evil spirits was possessed by some men among the 
Jews, in common with Christ. All these things were 
thought to be miracles by the disciples, and believing 
them such, opened the way to their believing almost 
anything. 

According to Lardner, the gospels were writ- 



70 THE PRO AND CON OF 

ten, the earliest not less than thirty-one, the latest 
thirty -five years after the death of Christ. Two of the 
supposed writers, Mark, and Luke, were not eye- 
witnesses of what they record. All four wrote with 
a view to give an outline history of the life and teach- 
ings of Christ. Nothing could be more natural than 
that they should record, not < nly what they knew, 
but also all that was currently believed by their fel- 
low Christians of that day. The artless manner in 
which they recorded what to us would be incredible, 
is thus easily accounted for. And we are under no 
necessity of supposing that the writers were any other 
than honest men, aside from the tendency of religious 
enthusiasm and love of the marvelous to exaggera- 
tion. A critical examination of the gospels will ena- 
ble us to detect such a tendency even in them. For 
proof, see Matt. iii. 5, 6: iv. 23-25. 

Before the gospels were written, Christian congre- 
gations had been gathered in Syria, Egypt, Greece, 
Rome and other places. Soon after they were written 
Jerusalem was destroyed and the Jews dispersed. 
The principal interest in these writings was confined 
to those who were interested in having them received 
as authentic. But few copies of them were in exist- 
ence; only a few among the people could read them, 
and they were mainly in the hands of the clergy. 
There was no one to question their genuineness until 
some time after they first appeared : and when they 
began to be criticised, the writings of those who did 
question them were not long after destroyed. 

If God chose miracles as a means of authenticating 
a revelation, it is certainly very singular that the 
means should prove so inadequate to the end.. At the 
very time when miracles were wrought in the greatest 



SUPERNATURAL RELIGION. 71 

abundance, a great majority of those who are said to 
have witnessed them were not convinced by them. 
If the Jews had believed them to be genuine, would 
they have dared to proceed against Christ as they 
did? The miraculous portion of the gospels has al- 
ways been a serious obstacle in the way of their re- 
ception by scientific men, and to-day hinders the pro- 
gress of religion in the world. 

Let us now take another view. We will suppose 
whatj-he weight of evidence and authority justifies us 
in believing to be true; that these gospels were not 
written by the Evangelists, but were compiled by 
after writers at a time somewhat later than the date 
usually assigned them, and when nothing was more 
common than to forge books and attribute their 
authorship to distinguished persons in order to give 
them authority. Is it not possible, then, that some 
liberties may have been taken by the compilers? 
Whether they were written by the Evangelists or not, 
it is certain that they have been frequently copied; 
that they were finally separated from a mass of simi- 
lar books, and pronounced to be authentic and 
authoritative by uninspired and fallible men. Can an 
incredible thing be proved by such evidence ? The 
evidence is wholly exparte. No scientific test was 
applied to any of the miracles. No committee of 
scientific men examined to ascertain whether Lazarus 
was dead or not, and we have no opportunity to cross- 
question the witnesses. 

As to the internal evidence of the infallibility of 
these books, we know that they contain incredible 
statements; direct contradictions, and glaring incon- 
sistencies. As a specimen of the latter, we are told 
that at the baptism of Christ, John recognized him as 



72 THE PRO AND CON OF 

the Messiah, and boldly announced him as such to 
the people. Not only so, but the fact was confirmed 
by a miracle, the visible appearance of a dove and an 
audible voice from heaven. Yet subsequently to this 
impressive scene, John is represented as having been 
in doubt on the subject. Is it possible that if John 
was inspired, and had witnessed this miracle, he could 
have such doubts ? 

The fact that the New Testament contains contra- 
dictions is sometimes denied. Let us examine and 
see. Take the account of the resurrection of Christ. 
All the accounts agree that after the crucifixion his 
body was placed in the tomb of a man who was one 
of his friends. Mark says, that when he was taken 
down from the cross, Pilate " marveled " that he was 
so soon dead. They all agree that the tomb was vis- 
ited on Sunday morning, and that the body was not 
there. But they differ, 

1. As to tTie time of day. Matthew says, it was "in 
the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward 
the first day of the week." Mark says it was " at the 
rising of the sun." Luke, that it was " very early in 
the morning." John, that it was " when it was yet 
dark," This difference is slight, and we only men- 
tion it to show that the visit was probably before it 
was light How could Matthew know that an angel 
from heaven had been there and removed the stone 
from the door of the sepulchre? Neither he nor any 
of the disciples were there to see. Was not this a 
mere inference, from the fact that this stone was roll- 
ed away? He certainly testifies to something of 
which he was not an eye-witness. Nor could he have 
witnessed it, for it was done, if done at all, in the 
dark. 



SUPERNATURAL EELIGION. 73 

2. Number of persons who visited the tomb, John 
mentions but one; Matthew, two; Mark, three; Luke, 
three } and " certain other women who were with 
them." Now these gospels are supposed to have been 
written by independent witnesses. Here they are re- 
lating one of the most important events in the career 
of Christ, one on the truth or falsity of which the 
whole superstructure of supernatural religion depend- 
ed. They are supposed to have been inspired in or- 
der to assist them to tell the truth. They should, 
then, have told "the truth, the whole truth, and 
nothing but ihe truth." But if there was more than 
one person that went to the sepulchre, then, John did 
not tell the whole truth. If there was more than two, 
Matthew failed to do it ; and if more than three, 
Mark did not tell it all. It was an important point, 
for much would depend on the number of witnesses 
of the resurrection. 

3. Number of persons who appeared to the visitors. 
Mark says one "young man;" Matthew, one "an- 
gel;" Luke, "two men;" John, "two angels." If 
there was but one person, there were not two ; if there 
were two, there were more than one. If the persons 
were men, they were not angels ; if they were angels, 
they were not men. 

4 Time of tlie appearance of these men or angels. Ac- 
cording to John, not till Mary's second visit to the 
tomb, after Peter and John had been there. Accord- 
ing to Matthew, Mark and Luke, it was when Mary 
first went to the place. 

5. Message of the persons seen at the tomb. John said 
the two " angels " said to Mary Magdalene, "Woman! 
why weepest thou?" Luke says that two men an- 
nounced to several women that Christ had risen. 



74 THE PRO AND CON OP 

Mark tells us that this announcement was made to 
three women by a "young man." Matthew says it 
was made to two women by the " angel " who had 
rolled away the stone. 

6. Conduct of tlie parties to whom the announcement 
was made. Mark says, "they said nothing to any 
man." Matthew, Luke and John say that they hast- 
ened to carry the news to the disciples. 

7. Tne persons to whom Jesus appeared. Matthew 
says, it was first to two women, then to the disciples. 
Mark, that it was to one woman, then to two of the 
disciples, and then to the eleven. Luke, that it was 
first to Cleopas and his companion, as they journeyed 
to Emmaus ; then to Peter, then to the eleven. John 
says it was to one woman, then twice to the eleven. 

8. Places where Christ was seen. Mark does not men- 
tion any particular place. Matthew says he was seen 
by two women on their way to tell the disciples what 
they had seen at the sepulchre ; then on a mountain in 
Galilee. John says it was first to Mary Magdalene at 
the sepulchre, then at Jerusalem, though he does not 
name the place ; and then to the disciples at the Sea 
of Tiberias. According to Luke, it was first on the 
way to, and at Emmaus, then at Jerusalem and Beth- 
any. 

9. According to Matthew, Christ directed the dis- 
ciples to go to Galilee, and promised to meet them 
there. Mark says, this direction was given by a 
"young man," who was seen in the tomb. Luke and 
John are silent about this direction and meeting. Ac- 
cording to Luke, the meetings of Christ with his dis- 
ciples were all in Jerusalem and its vicinity, at one of 
which he directed them to "tarry in Jerusalem until 
they were endued with power from on high." 



SUPERNATURAL RELIGION. 75 

10. Matthew says, the disciples went to Galilee and 
met Christ there. Luke, that they tarried in Jerusa- 
lem, and "were continually in the temple praising 
and blessing G-od." 

11. Matthew and John say nothing about what be- 
came of Christ after his resurrection. Mark says, he 
ascended to heaven, but does not tell us when, where, 
nor how. Luke says, he was M carried up into heav- 
en" from Bethany, but does not say in what way. 
He also l(^s us that his ascension took place on the 
evening of the third day after his resurrection. (See 
chap. xxiv. 21; compare verses 33, 36, 50.) But in 
Acts he tells us that he did not ascend until forty days 
after the resurrection, and that it took place from 
Mount Olivet. 

Another remarkable thing in these accounts is, that 
the persons to whom Christ appeared could only with 
difficulty recognize him. When Mary saw him she 
did not know him, but supposed him to be the " gard- 
ener.'' Two of his disciples journeyed with him, 
conversed with him, spent some time in his company, 
and yet did not know who he was, but regarded him 
as a "stranger." When the eleven met in Galilee, 
where they went by appointment, expecting to see 
him, "some" of them "doubted." At his first ap- 
pearance to them they were "affrighted," and "sup- 
posed they saw a spirit." From Mark xvi. 12, we 
learn that he appeared in different forms. Matthew 
tells of a phenomenon which occurred at the resurrec- 
tion which is not mentioned by either Mark, Luke 
or John, viz.: a "great earthquake" and the descent 
of an " angel of the Lord from heaven." Of this we 
will speak in the proper place. 

Whether Christ ascended to heaven in his natural 



76 THE PRO AND CON OP 

body, or whether his body passed through a change of 
any kind, we are not informed. If his body was 
changed so as to become etherealized and fitted for a 
residence in a spiritual sphere, and the Evangelists 
knew it, it is strange that they did not record that 
fact. The fact that they did not, is evidence that they 
did not perceive the incongruity and impossibility 
which was perceived by Paul, viz.: of "flesh and 
blood inheriting the kingdom of God. v 

In order to account for the difficulty of the disci- 
ples to recognize Christ, it may be said that his ex- 
citement, anxiety and sufferings previous to and at 
the crucifixion had so worn upon and emaciated him. 
as to change his appearance. But the same power 
that could impart life to his dead body, could also re- 
store it to perfect physical health and integrity, and 
doubtless would do it. It may be said that his resur- 
rection was so unexpected and attended by such mar- 
velous occurrences, that the disciples were alarmed 
and bewildered. But veteran soldiers, who have been 
often under fire, are not apt to be alarmed out of their 
senses when they hear the familiar sound of the boom- 
ing cannon. The disciples had been living in the 
very atmosphere of the marvelous and supernatural 
for three years. They had witnessed miracle after 
miracle ; they had seen Lazarus raised from the dead, 
and associated with him without fear after his resur- 
rection. Surely, after witnessing what they had, no 
display of divine power ought to alarm or astonish 
them. If it was not in body but in spirit that he ap- 
peared, as Prof. Bush taught, and as our modern 
Spiritualists teach, it is sufficient to say that this is ex- 
pressly contradicted by Christ himself. (See Luke 
xxiv. 39, and John xx. 27.) Besides, if his resurrec 



SUPERNATURAL RELIGION. 77 

tion and appearance was of the spirit only, then it 
comes under the head of those appearances of the 
spirits of deceased persons to the living, about which 
we hear so much at the present day, and passes out 
of the domain of the miraculous. 

Here, now, we have the testimony of four witnesses 
in relation to the great crowning event, the grand cen- 
tral fact of supernatural Christianity — an occurrence 
which, if it actually took place, was the most import- 
ant of any in the world's history, involving the inter- 
est of every human being. And what is the testi- 
mony? It is vague, obscure, conflicting, inconsistent 
with itself, and self-contradictory. But worse still, 
even if it were not so, it utterly fails to establish the 
vital point in the story, viz. : the resurrection of Christ 
from the dead. If he rose, he must have risen in the 
dark, and not one of the witnesses was present when 
the occurrence took place. We can easily believe that 
he was placed in Joseph's tomb, but we have no proof 
that lite was extinct when he was put there. It may 
be said that the wound in his side must have produc- 
ed death. This is a gratuitous assumption. It might 
have been the means of his resuscitation from a 
swoon. Besides, the circumstance of the wound in 
the side, made by a Roman soldier, is narrated only 
by John, and totally ignored by all three of the other 
witnesses. We may believe that when the tomb was 
visited on Sunday morning, the body was not there, 
but this does not prove that a miracle was wrought to 
restore it to life. It is quite probable that some of 
his followers saw, or thought they saw, him after his 
body was laid in the tomb, but the fact that he was 
seen by nobody else, is certainly not a little suspicious. 
Is it likely that God would work a miracle to attest a 



78 THE PRO AND CON OF 

revelation, and then leave the miracle to be attested 
by such proof ? 

It may be said, that although there is some varia- 
tion in these accounts, yet, "circumstantial variation 
with substantial agreement is characteristic of all hu- 
man testimony." So it is. But testimony that is 
wholly false may have the same characteristic. Be- 
sides, although the rule is good as relates to human 
testimony, it is not applicable to divine testimony; 
and we are here dealing with what is supposed to 
be infallible testimony. Infallibility does not admit 
of degrees. Divine testimony cannot be partly true 
and partly false. It cannot be substantially true and 
circumstantially untrue. 

If we scrutinize the accounts of miracles contained 
in the New Testament, we find most of the important 
ones attended by the same or similar difficulties. 

1. Miraculous birth of Christ. Not only are the ac- 
counts of it inconsistent with themselves, but self-con- 
tradictory. Besides, if they were true, and generally 
believed by those who were acquainted with him, he 
must have started out on his mission with the pres- 
tige of a miraculous origin in his favor. But through- 
out his career he is generally spoken of as the son of 
Joseph, or the "carpenter's son." Although frequent- 
ly reproached on account of his low birth and origin, 
he does not reply by asserting his birth of a virgin. 
No retrospective allusion to it is made either by him- 
self or his disciples. No hint of it is given in the 
epistles of either Paul, Peter, James, Jude, or John. 
His townsmen were the most stubborn unbelievers in 
him. Even his own brothers and sisters, who ought 
to have known all about it, did not accept him as the 
Messiah, and on one occasion were about to arrest 



SUPERNATURAL RELIGION. 79 

him on the ground that he was a " lunatic" and was 
u mad." It is evident they had never heard of his 
miraculous birth. 

2. Flight into Egypt. Matthew relates that immediate- 
ly after his birth, his parents fled with him into Egypt, 
where they remained until the death of Herod. Mat- 
thew is the only New Testament writer who says any- 
thing about it, and he is contradicted by Luke, who 
says that eight days after his birth he was circumcised, 
and after the purification of his mother, he was present- 
ed to the Lord in the temple at Jerusalem, from which 
place they went to their own city, Nazareth, and 
dwelt there. 

3. Temptation. Mark says, that "immediately " 
after his baptism, the "spirit" drove him into the 
wilderness, where he was forty days tempted of 
Satan. John wholly ignores the temptation, and 
says that the third day after his baptism he attended a 
wedding in Cana of Galilee. From Cana he went to 
Capernium, where he remained some days and then 
went to Jerusalem. 

4. Turning water into wine. If this miracle really 
occurred, it is strange that John is the only Evangel- 
ist who has recorded it, especially, as it is said to have 
been the first, and certainly not the least wonderful. 
Is it credible that God should work a miracle in order to 
change one hundred and thirty-five gallons of water 
into wine for the accomodation of men who had al- 
ready drank all that had been provided for the occa- 
sion, by their host ? All the circumstances go to 
show that the account is a mere legend. 

5. The transfiguration. This is related by Matthew, 
Mark and Luke, neither of whom were present to wit- 
ness it, but wholly omitted by John, who is said to 



80 THE PRO AND CON OF 

have been an eye-witness. It is barely alluded to 
once, or is supposed to be, by Peter, but not mention- 
en by James, both of whom, it is said, were present. 

6. Commission of the Apostles. We are told that 
Christ, just before his ascension, imparted the " Holy 
Ghost " to the Apostles, and commissioned them to 
4t go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every 
creature." And yet we find that Peter had to be con- 
vinced of the propriety of preaching to the Gentiles 
by a special revelation ; and that he was called to ac- 
count for so doing by his fellow-disciples, who subse- 
quently, however, became convinced that he was 
right. 

7. Conversion of Paul. . We have four different ac- 
counts of this. One historical by Luke, in Acts 9th ; 
two reported by Luke; one in Acts 22d, the other in 
Acts 26th, as having been given by Paul; and the 
fourth by Paul himself, in Galatians, 1st chapter. In 
the narrative of it by Luke — he does not say whether 
the men who were with Paul saw the " great light" 
witnessed by Paul or not. But he says they heard the 
"voice." He also says, that although Paul was 
stricken to the ground, the men "stood speechless." 
In his report of Paul's speech to the Jews in Jerusa- 
lem, he makes him contradict the first statement by 
saying that the men " saw indeed the light but heard 
not the voice." And in his speech to Agrippa, he 
contradicts the other, by affirming that not only he, 
but all the men who were with him were prostrated. 
In Acts xxii. 10, it is said that the heavenly voice di- 
rected Paul to Damascus, where he would be told 
what was required of him. But in his speech to 
Agrippa, he says this same "voice" gave him his com- 
mission as an apostle at the very time when the 



SUPERNATURAL RELIGION. 81 

u light was seen, and the voice heard. Again, in his 
address to Agrippa, he says, that immediately after 
receiving his commission he commenced preaching 
"unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and 
throughout all the coasts of Judea, and then to the 
•Gentiles." But in Galatians, 1st chap., he affirms that 
he did not confer with any of the other apostles; did 
not learn the gospel from them; did not go up to 
Jerusalem; but "went to Arabia, and returned again 
unto Damascus. Then after three years he went to 
Jerusalem to see Peter. 

Finally, these writers state some things, which, if 
true, we should expect would be corroborated by 
other testimony; but they are not. 

1. The taxing of the Jews by Ccesar Agustus. No 
Roman, or any other historian has mentioned any 
such tax. Judea was not a Roman province when 
Jesus was born; nor was Cyrenius Governor of Syria 
until ten or twelve years after that event. 

2. Tlie slaughter of the innocents by Herod. The ac- 
count of this is not confirmed by any historian ; not 
even by Josephus, who gives a full history of the life 
and reign of Herod, and an enumeration of his crimes. 

3. The darkness, the quaking of the earth; the rending 
the rocks ', and vail of the temple, at the crucifixion : and 
the earthquake at the resurrection. Not only is most of 
these phenomena unmentioned by all of the Evangelists 
except Matthew )ut no, allusion is made to these 
occurrences anywhere else in the Nev Testament ; 
nor in the annals of any nation in the world. 

In view of these facts, to what other conclusion 
can we arrive, but that the theory of infallible in- 
spiration has no foundation in truth? Nor is it prob- 
able that the testimony we have been reviewing is that 



82 THE PRO AND CON OF 

of eye and ear witnesses. If it is, their memory must 
have been very defective. That the New Testament 
writers were mistaken about some things we know. 
Paul and Barnabas did not agree, but contended 
11 sharply " with each other. Peter and Paul differed 
in opinion, and Paul rebuked Peter publicly, char^ 
ing him with dissimulation : both could not be right. 
Infallible men could not but agree. Doubtless, most 
of the events recorded by the writers of the gospels 
had some foundation in truth; but they were not re- 
corded as they actually occurred, but as they were 
believed to have occurred. It is one thing to see an 
angel, it is quite another to believe that somebody else 
has. It is one thing for a phenomenon to occur, it is a 
very different thing to believe that it was produced 
by a special interposition of divine power. A record 
of the phenomena, a history of which we have in the 
gospels, was not made at the time they occurred, but 
long after, and at a time when the original facts had 
become greatly exaggerated. Undoubtedly the New 
Testament contains much valuable truth; but it also 
contains mistakes and errors. It is not therefore the 
ultimate standard of truth, nor only rule of faith and 
practice. It is ours to separate the ^truth from the 
error; to sift the wheat from the chaff, and to con- 
serve the one and burn up the chaff with unquencha- 
ble fire. 

Were the gospels as we now have them writ- 
ten BY THE PERSONS WHOSE NAMES THEY BEAR ? 

It is often asserted in more than a thousand pulpits 
and reiterated and repeated again and again in the most 
positive terms, that the proof of the genuineness of our 
present four gospels is so conclusive and overwhelm- 
ing, that whoever denies it must be either very igno- 



SUPERNATURAL RELIGION. 83 

rant, imbecile or dishonest, In order to show upon 
what a weak foundation this sweeping assertion is 
made to rest, it is only necessary to examine the 
all edged evidence. 

We are told that the history of these gospels can be 
traced up to the very time of the apostles and evan- 
gelists, and that the authorship of them by the writers 
to whom they are attributed is proved by the testimony 
of the immediate successors of the apostles. Now 
what are the facts ? The immediate successors of the 
apostles are called *' apostolic fathers," and those who 
succeeded them are called * ■ Christian fathers." The 
testimony of the first named and those of the last 
named who lived before the New Testament collec- 
tion was made, is all that is of any value. The apos- 
tolic fathers are Clemens, Ignatius, Polycarp, Papi- 
us, Barnabas, and Hermas. The first Christian 
fathers are Justin Martyr, Tatian, Irenseus, and The- 
ophilus. The last father named, lived at about the 
time when the gospels Were collected and compiled 
with the other books of the New Testament. The 
New Testament, however, was not declared to be the 
standard of truth by authority of the Church until 
after this. Now what do these witnesses say on the 
point in question ? 

These fathers all lived in the first century of the 
Christian era. If during that century there existed 
four different biographers of the life and teachings of 
Christ with which they were acquainted, and which 
they accepted as authoritative, we should expect them 
to make frequent use of them as authority for their 
own teachings. But what are the facts ? In their 
writings which have come down to us, we find 
some express citations of some of the epistles of the 



&4 THE PRO AND CON OP 

New Testament and some allusions to the same and 
also citations of apocryphal gospels, yet we do not 
find either of the four gospels cited, alluded to or 
referred to by name. We find a few passages in 
their writings attributed by them to Christ, corres- 
ponding in part to passages in the gospels; bnt whether 
these passages were mere traditional sayings which 
had been handed down orally, or were contained in 
writings older than our gospels, they do not inform 
us. That the latter is the fact we will now show to 
be probable. 

The first mention of Matthew's gospel by name is 
by Papias, the first Christian father. He was bishop 
of Hierapolis, and lived in the fore part of the second 
century. He says that Matthew wrote a gospel in 
Hebrew, and in the time of Origen towards the mid- 
dle of the third century it was the universal belief of 
the Church that such was the fact. At an early peri- 
od that gospel was lost, and what became of it no one 
has told us. If our present gospel of Matthew is a 
translation of it, when, where or by whom it was 
translated no one knows. It is a very well authenti- 
cated fact, that in very early times there did exist a 
gospel called the gospel of the Nazarenes. Origen 
had a copy of it, and Jerome translated it; but neither 
the original nor the translation has eome down to us. 
It is generally believed, however, that it was not the 
lost gospel of Matthew, although it somewhat resem- 
bled it. Papias then gives us no certain testimony in 
regard to our present gospel of Matthew. 

Respecting the gospel of Mark, the historical evi- 
dence of its genuineness is more meager still. Papias 
says that Mark went with Peter to Rome, and while 
there acted as interpreter for Peter; he wrote down 



SUPERNATURAL RELIGION. 85 

what he could remember of what Peter told him, or 
what he heard him say. Clement of Alexandria 
says, that Mark, at the request of the Church at Rome, 
wrote a gospel, and Peter, when informed of it, hesi- 
tated about giving it his sanction; but finally did so 
in obedience to a vision. Irenaeus says, that it was 
after the death of Peter that Mark wrote his gospel. 
Chrysostom says, that after writing it he went to 
Egypt. Epiphanius says he went to Egypt by the 
direction of Peter. Here now the testimony is so 
conflicting and inconsistent with itself as to be totally 
valueless. 

As for Luke's gospel, we find no mention of it by 
any of the apostolic fathers, nor by any of the Chris- 
tian fathers before the last of the second century. 
The same is true of the gospel of John. The first 
Christian writer who mentions the four gospels by 
name and attributes their authorship to Matthew, 
Mark, Luke, and John, was Irenaeus who lived near 
the end of the second century. The history of these 
gospels can be traced with certainty up to the year 
368, at which time the Council of Laodicea included 
them in a catalogue of the New Testament books 
omitting the book of Revelations. From that time 
they may be traced with tolerable certainty up to the 
time of Irenaeus. From that time upward their his- 
tory is involved in obscurity if not in total darkness. 

It appears then, that in the writings of the apostolic 
and Christian fathers, there are passages which resem- 
ble passages in our four gospels, but in only a few 
instances are they verbatim resemblances. Second, 
they also contain passages which are not found in the 
gospels. Third, there are quotations in them from 
what were afterwards deemed apocryphal gospels. 



86 THE PRO AND CON OF 

Fourth, in none of the early writers are our gospels 
cited or referred to by name. From all which it ap- 
pears that the first fathers might have denied all the 
passages contained in their writings which resembled 
passages in our gospels from writings which existed 
before our gospels were written, and there is no 
proof that they ever saw the gospels as we now have 
them. 

But suppose we had the unequivocal testimony of 
the apostolic and Christian fathers to the genuineness 
of the gospels, what would be the value of their testi- 
mony ? The weight of evidence must be estimated 
by the intelligence and veracity of the witnesses. 
What then is the reputation of these fathers for intel- 
ligence and veracity ? On this point we 'have the 
testimony of the great ecclesiastical historian, Mo- 
sheim, who wrote in the interest of Christianity, that 
the u apostolic fathers and the other writers, who, in 
the infancy of the Church, employed their pens in the 
cause of Christianity, were neither remarkable for 
their learning nor for their eloquence. On the con- 
trary, they express the most pious and admirable sen- 
timents in the plainest and most illiterate style." The 
writings of these men show, conclusively, that many 
of them were weak men; that all of them were ex- 
tremely credulous; that they endorsed not only all the 
marvelous stories in circulation in their day about 
Christ and his apostles, but all the extravagant fic- 
tions of the Greek and Eoman mythology. They 
sometimes employed known falsehood in support of 
their cause; and forged books to prove their doctrines. 
Mosheim says, the Christian fathers adopted and acted 
upon the maxim, that "it is lawful to lie for the 
truth." Whatever weight we attach to their testi- 



SUPERNATURAL RELIGION. 87 

mony it is equally good for the apocryphal writings 
and for the Pagan mythology. 

In the absence of any historical proof of the genu- 
ineness of the gospels we are led to the inquiry, is 
there any internal evidence which is sufficient to es- 
tablish them as genuine ? Here the evidence is all 
the other way, as the following considerations go to 
show. First, the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and 
Luke, so far as they relate to the addresses, parables 
and miracles of Christ, bear a remarkable resemblance 
to each other. Not only do they relate the same 
things, but in many instances they relate them in the 
same or nearly the same words. Now this resem- 
blance is in the Greek gospels, whereas, Christ spoke 
in the language in use in Palestine, and his words, 
therefore, had to be translated into Greek by his 
biographers. Now it is incredible that three inde- 
pendent writers should report the sayings of Christ, 
and translate his words into a different language from 
that in which he spake, and that there should be this 
verbal agreement in their report. Second, in the in- 
troduction to Luke's gospel, he addresses himself to a 
personage whom he calls ' c most excellent T heophil- 
us." In those times this title belonged only to per- 
sons of rank and distinction. It is remarkable that in 
all the writings of the early Christians, we find no 
other mention of such a personage until the time of 
Theophilus, bishop of Antioch, who lived near the 
close of the second century. He is said to have been 
a principal actor in collecting and arranging the books 
of the New Testament and putting them in their 
present form. It is highly probable that the four 
gospels were compiled from previously existing writ- 
ings about that time, and if so, they could not *have 



88 THE PRO AND CON OF 

been written by the Evangelists in their present form. 
Of John's gospel, it may be said it is qnite unlike 
either of the others. This unlikeness may be seen in 
the following particulars. 1. In the fourth gospel 
there is no record of the numerous parables found in 
the other three, nor any intimation that Christ adopt- 
ed that mode of instruction. 2. The discourses at- 
tributed to Christ in the one, are entirely different 
from those in the others. In John's gospel they are 
lengthy, systematic, enigmatical, dogmatic, and 
abound in self-assertion. In the others they are frag- 
mentary, plain, practical, and exhibit a spirit of meek- 
ness and humility. 3. The style of the discourses in 
John is entirely different from those in Matthew, 
Mark, and Luke. This difference is so great as to 
justify us in saying that if Christ spoke as the first 
three gospels represent him, he could not have spoken 
as John represents him, and visa versa. 4. John 
omits all mention of the miraculous cures of demoni- 
acs, to which the other writers seem to have attached 
so much importance. There are other differences 
which might be pointed out, but those above are suf- 
ficient for our present purpose. There is but one 
clue to the authorship of John's gospel, and that is the 
fact that a comparison of the gospel with the first of 
the three epistles attributed to John in the New Tes- 
tament, shows that the style and often the very ideas 
and words attributed to John the Baptist and Christ 
in the gospel, correspond exactly with the style, ideas 
and words of that epistle. From this fact we infer 
that whoever was the author of the epistle was the 
author of the gospel also. Now, although the second 
and third epistles of John were considered doubtful 
for a long time by the Church ; the first was always 



SUPERNATURAL RELIGION. 89 

received as genuine. This points to John as the 
author of the fourth gospel. But if John was the 
author of it, was it originally written in the form in 
which we now have it ? We know that an unknown 
writer added to it, (see John xxi. 24-25,) and to what 
extent he might have further tampered with it no one 
knows. 

But suppose that each of the gospels could be proved 
to have been written by their reputed authors, could 
we implicitly rely on their testimony ? A few con- 
siderations will lead us to see that we could not. 1. 
The reputed authors were ignorant and superstitious, 
predisposed to believe in the marvelous, and regarded 
all the phenomena of nature as produced by a special 
divine providence. 2. They were not eye and ear 
witnesses of all that they record. They relate occur- 
rences which took place when they could not have 
been present For example, the remarkable circum- 
stances attendant on the birth of Christ, both before 
and after the event. The temptation of Christ, the 
transfiguration of Christ, related by Matthew, Mark, 
and Luke, who were not present, and wholly omitted 
by John who is said to have witnessed it The mar- 
velous circumstances connected with the birth of John 
the Baptist; the report of the preaching of the Bap 
tist; the prayer of Christ in Gethsemane; Peter's de- 
nial of Christ; the dream of Pilate's wife; the con- 
versation between Pilate and the priests; that between 
Judas and the priests, and that between the soldiers 
and priests; and finally the alleged fact of the resur- 
rection of Christ* 3. The gospels were written in the 
interest of a cause which the writers had espoused 
and which they were desirous to promote. Now we 
cannot rely implicitly on the statements of historians, 



90 THE PRO AND CON OF 

who, we know, were biased and prejudiced in their 
minds, and who derived their information not from 
personal observation, but received it from common 
report. We are all of us acquainted with men whose 
intelligence and honesty we would not question; but 
whose statements in relation to an extraordinary oc- 
currence made under the circumstances in which the 
writers of the gospels were placed, we could not ac- 
cept. Unless these writers were more than human, 
they certainly were liable to be mistaken. They con- 
stantly misunderstood and misapprehended Christ's 
words while he was living, and what assurance have 
we that they did not do the same thing after he was 
dead? 

It may be said that these writers were infallibly in- 
spired, and thus preserved from all liability to err. 

The question whether they were or not, will be next 
considered. 



Were the writers of the four gospels infal- 
libly INSPIRED ? 

The affirmative of this question is often asserted in 
the most positive terms, and it has been accepted as 
truth very generally in the Christian world. It only 
requires the statement of a few facts to show that it 
is a wholly gratuitous assumption. 

1. There is no proof that either God or Christ, ever 
directed or authorized them to write the books in 
queslion. 

2. There is no proof that they had the most distant 
idea that these books would be collected, comprised 
in a volume, and transmitted to succeeding genera- 
tions. 



SUPERNATURAL RELIGION. 91 

8. They nowhere assert or intimate that they poss- 
essed such inspiration. 

It may be said that if they do not make this claim 
for themselves, Paul makes it for them, where he as- 
serts that, u All scripture is given by inspiration of 
God." We reply that Paul's declaration has nothing 
to do with the question before us, first, because it says 
not one word about infallible inspiration, and second, 
because when he made the declaration the gospels 
had not been written, and were therefore not in exist- 
ence. We may be told, that Christ promised to his 
disciples the aid of the " Holy Spirit," which would 
direct them what to say in all emergencies, and <v lead 
them into all truth." Without questioning whether 
Christ made such a promise or not, and taking it for 
granted that he did, we proceed to inquire ; was the 
promise fulfilled to the extent of making the disciples 
infallible ? The Holy Spirit we are informed in the 
'the gospels was bestowed upon the disciples between 
the time of Christ's crucifixion and his ascension into 
heaven. From this time forward were the disciples 
infallible ? The numerous contradictions, discrepen- 
cies, and mistakes contained in the gospels, some of 
which we have pointed out in this book, prove either 
that they were not written by the disciples, or if they 
were, they were not infallibly inspired. Besides, when 
the questions came before the disciples of whether the 
gospel should be preached to the Gentiles, and whether 
the Gentiles should observe the ceremonial law of 
Moses, they settled them not by authority of infallible 
inspiration, but the first question was settled in Peter's 
mind by a special vision, and the other by calling a 
Council of the disciples to consider the question, to 
deliberate upon it, to discuss it, and after different 



92 THE PRO AND CON OF 

opinions bad been expressed on it, it was finaly de- 
cided in accordance with a proposal made by James 
wbo occupied a middle ground on the subject. Now, 
if tbe disciples were conscious of tbe possession of 
infallibility, or if tbey believed themselves to be infal- 
lible, here was a fine opportunity for them to assert 
it, and to make a display of it, but they seem not to 
have thought of any such thing. 

The failure in the fulfilment of this promise said 
to have been made to the disciples, is paralleled by 
the failure of other promises of a similar nature. 
The writers of the gospels, state that Christ promised 
in the most emphatic and unequivocal manner that 
after his ascension into heaven he would return to 
earth during the life time of some at least of his disci- 
ples, that then he would be seated upon "the throne 
of his glory, and his disciples should also be seated " 
on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 
The generation then living was not to pass away be- 
fore this promise was to be fulfiled. (Matt, x, 23, xiv, 
29-35 ; Mark xiii, 28-31 ; Luke xxi, 27-32 ; Matt, xvi, 
27, 28 ; Mark viii, 38, and ix, 1 ; Luke ix, 26, 27 ; 
Matt, xix, 28.) In the Epistles of the New Testament 
this coming of Christ is often alluded to, and the. be- 
lief expressed that it was to take place during the 
natural life of the writers. (See 2 Thes. i, 6-10 ; 
1 Cor. xi, 6 ; 1 Tim. vi, 14 ; James v, 7, 8 ; 1 Thess. 
iii, 13, and v, 23 ; 2 Thess. iii, 5 ; Heb. x, 25, and 37 ; 
1 John ii, 28 ; 1 Thess. v, 1-4, and iv, 13-17 ; 1 Cor. 
xv, 51, 52 ; 1 Peter vii, 7.) It is a well known fact 
that the early Christians lived in the constant expec- 
tation of the speedy return, or second advent of Christ to 
this world, at which time the dead were to be raised, the 
living changed from mortality to immortality, Christ's 



SUPERNATURAL RELIGION. 93 

kingdom established here on earth, and the saints to 
rule and reign with him in his kingdom. 

Another promise said to have been made by Christ 
was that the believers in his gospel should be endowed 
with the power of casting out devils, of speaking with 
new tongues, of being invulnerable to the poison of 
serpents, or even of the most deadly poison drank by 
them. They should also be able to restore the sick to 
health by the laying on of hands. See Mark xvi, 17, 
18. 

Now as there has been no such personal second ad- 
vent of Christ, as the dead have not been raised, nor 
the living changed, as no thrones have been estab- 
lished for the occupancy of the disciples, and as be- 
lievers in the gospel have not the power to do the 
things which were predicted, therefore these promises 
have not been fulfilled. It follows that either Christ 
made no such promises, or if he did, he was mistaken 
in his predictions. Take whichever horn of the di- 
lema we may, it follows that the gospel writers were 
not infallibly inspired. Either they were mistaken in 
attributing these promises to Christ, or they were mis- 
taken in believing that they would be fulfilled. 



What we Do and what we Do Not know about 
the Bible. 

The Old Testament is a collection of Jewish sacred 
books. The number of them is 39. They were writ- 
ten by different authors and at different periods of 
time. At what particular time the collection was 
made, and who the writers were, as also, the precise 
time when they were written we do not know. We 
are equally ignorant in regard to the persons by whom 



94 THE PRO AND CON OF 

the collection was made. Some of the books are more 
than 2500 years old. During the times of Samuel, 
David, and Solomon, literature began to nourish, 
records were made, h' stories and narratives were 
written, and songs and hymns were composed. The first 
four books of the Pentateuch originated in the time 
of Solomon, 1019 years before Christ, but the Penta- 
teuch was not completed until the time of Josiah 641 
before Christ. It was commenced 432 years after the 
death of Moses, and finished in the form in which we 
now have it 810 years after his death. The whole five 
books are in great part compilations from previously 
existing documents of the writers of which nothing is 
known. The last book of the Old Testament was 
written 897 before Christ. The Hebrew Bible abounds 
in repetitions of history, narratives, genealogies, laws, 
oracles, proverbs, sentences, and thoughts. If these 
repetitions were expunged from it, it would reduce 
the volume to nearly one-half its present size. The 
style of composition of these books is very different. 
In some of them it is pure, grand, and beautiful, in 
others it is low, vulgar, mean, and poor. During 2551 
years these books existed only in manuscript and dur- 
ing the entire history of the Jews as a nation the care 
of them was committed to the priests. After the 
return of the Jews from the Babylonian captivity 518 
years before Christ, they ceased to speak the Hebrew 
language, and from that time until 130 before Christ, 
a period of 388 years these books were locked up in a 
dead language, and could be read only b}^ a very few 
of the Jewish people. The books were originaly 
written in continuous letters and lines, without any 
division into chapters, sentences, or words, and with- 
out punctuation. The work of copying them was a 



SUPERNATURAL RELIGION. 95 

difficult and laborious task and even the reading of 
them was attended with great difficulty. Only a few 
copies were extant and these were held to be of great 
pecuniary value, placing them beyond the reach of 
the mass of the people. In regard to the preservation 
of these books and the prevention of them from cor- 
ruption the Jews have a variety of traditions some of 
which are fabulous, others contradictory, and none of 
them reliable. The first mention of the collection of 
these books, as a whole, was by Jesus, the Son of Si- 
racb, 130 before Christ. The first translation of the 
books into another language was commenced about 
286 before Christ, and finished 130 before Christ. This 
was a Greek version called thf* Alexandrian, or ver- 
sion of the Seventy. It was the on© in use in the time 
of Christ and his Apostles, and quoted from by them. 
This version was followed by several other Greek 
versions. In the year 405 of the Christian era Jerome 
finished a Latin translation from the Hebrew. From 
this time we will consider the Old Testament in con- 
nection with the Christian Scriptures. 

The New Testament is a collection of books written 
during the first two centuries of the Christian era. 
They are in number 27. Some of them are historical 
but most are epistolary. They were written by differ- 
ent persons at different times and places. But ex- 
cepting most of the epistles attributed to Paul, and a 
few attributed to other writers, we do not positively 
know the precise time when, place where, nor per- 
sons by whom they were written. Most if not all the 
epistles were written before the gospels. In regard 
to the origin, authorship, and history of the historical 
books, i. e. the four gospels, but little is knosvn with 
certainty, up to the time when they were separated 



96 THE PRO AND CON OP 

from a number of writings relating to the same sub- 
ject, which was near the end of the second century. 
As Mr.Froudewell observes, '* there exists no anciem 
writings whatever, of such vast moment to mankind 
of which so little can be authentically known." We 
may add that there is no part of human history of 
equal importance that is involved in so much obscur- 
ity as that which relates to the birth, life and death, 
of Jesus Christ, and the life and death, of his Apos- 
tles. Notwithstanding the vast amount of time and 
labor which learned men have expended in endeavor- 
ing to clear up the subject, their efforts thu3 far have 
been unavailing. It is known, however, that as Mosh- 
iem says, " not long after the ascension of Christ, sev- 
eral histories of his life and doctrines, full of pious 
frauds and fabulous wonders, were composed by per- 
sons whose intentions perhaps, were not bad, but 
whose writings discovered the greatest superstition 
and ignorance. Nor was this all ; productions ap- 
peared which were imposed upon the world by fraud- 
ulent men, as the writings of the holy apostles." It 
is equally well know that at a very early period in the 
history of the Christian church differences of opinion 
sprung up among Christians, occasioning the most 
fierce and bitter controversies, and that the defenders 
of their respective opinions did not scruple to forge 
whole books and ascribe their authorship to Christ or 
some of his apostles, in order to prove their doctrines. 
The books of the New Testament were selected from 
a number of other gospels and epistles, but at what 
particular time or by whom, is not certainly known. 
Ireuseuswho lived A. D. 182, is the first of the Fath- 
ers who mentions the four gospels by name. In the 
year 368 the Council of Laodicea gave a catalogue of 



SUPERNATURAL RELIGION. 97 

all books in the New Testament. In 397 at the third 
council of Carthage the books of the Old and New 
Testament, as they now stand in the Bible were pro- 
nounced canonical, and the reading of the apocryphal 
books in the churches was forbidden. At the council 
of Chalcedon in 401 the New Testament was used as 
the ultimate standard of appeal, and a decree of Pope 
Innocent 1, about that time, confirming the selection 
which had been previously made, established the 
canon as it now stands. 

Most of the original manuscripts from which our 
New Testament books were selected have long been 
lost. All that are now extant have been collected and 
published in a book called the Apocryphal New Tes- 
tament. This book is about the same size as the one 
supposed to be genuine. 

During 1200 years or until the art of printing was 
discovered the books of the New Testament were in 
manuscript only and mainly in the hands of the cler- 
gy. The first translation of the Bible into English 
was by "Wicklirle in 1360. This was not printed ex- 
cept the New Testament part, and that was not done 
until 1731. The first printed Bible in English was 
that of Tindal and Coverdale in 1526, Our present 
English version was made by order of King James I and 
printed in 1613. 

The Bible as a whole has been frequently copied, 
numerous translations have been made of it and it has 
been printed in all the principle languages in the 
world. 

The division of the Bible into chapters was made 
by Hugo, who lived about A. D. 1240. The division 
of the chapters into verses was by Mordecai Nathan, 
a Jewish Rabbi in 1475. 



98 THE PKO AND CON OF 

Our English Bible was translated not from the orig- 
inal manuscripts of the writers, but from copies of the 
original, none of which in the Old Testament were 
older than the 9th century of the Christian era, and 
none of the New Testament older than the sixth cen- 
tury. 

Notwithstanding the opinion which for a long time 
prevailed, that in a mysterious and miraculous man- 
ner God had taken care to preserve the inviolable pu- 
rity of the text of the Bible, or jf not that, at least tLe 
purity of the original, the investigations of learned 
men have proved that among all the copies of the orig- 
inal Hebrew of the Old Testament, and those of the 
Greek of the New Testament, there is not one that is 
perfect, or any two of either that exactly agree. And 
among all the translations and versions, whether of 
private individuals or of authorized todies of men, 
there is not two that are alike. Kennicott and De 
Rossi spent thirty-six years in collecting ancient He- 
brew and Samaritan manuscripts of the Old Testa- 
ment. They obtained and compared more than 1200 
copies, and De Rossi published four quarto volumes 
of various readings found in about 400 manuscripts 
which he examined. The variations amounted to 
over 130,000. 

The New Testament contains seven books, the au- 
thenticity of which was disputed for a long time by 
many in the early Christian church, and Dr. Lardner 
says, they are " not fit to be aliedged as affording suf- 
ficent proof of any doctrine." These books are He- 
brews, James, 2nd and 3d John, Jude, 2nd Peter, and 
Revelations. It also contains passages which by some 
learned men are deemed to be spurious. Such as 
Matt, i, 17-35, and whole of 2nd chapter j the 1st and 



SUPERNATURAL RELIGION. 99 

2nd chapters of Luke, except the four first verses, and 
many other accounts and verses which are regarded 
as interpolations into the original text. 

In our common English Bible there are a great 
number of additions which are not contained in the 
original, some of which at least are liable to mislead 
the reader. Such are all the words printed in italics. 
These were supplied by the translators. So also the 
headings of the chapters, and in the upper margin of 
the pages. 

Finally, the work of collecting, arranging, copying 
and translating the books of the Bible has been done 
by human hands, by uninspired and fallible men; 
and by human authority alone it has been pronounced 
infallible in its teachings. 

Obscurity of the Bible. 

That the Bible is very obscure in its teachings is 
generally admitted by those who know most about it. 
No book was ever published to which such a variety 
of interpretations have been given. Thousands of 
commentaries have been written upon it, by men of 
equal talent and learning, no two of which give it the 
same exposition. Out of the millions of believers in 
the infallibility of its inculcations, it is not probable 
that any two could be found who would agree in their 
understanding of its contents. This is not wonderful 
if we consider that the books were composed bv some 
forty different authors, who lived in different ages of 
the world, and if we allow that the writers, like all 
other men, were liable to entertain conflicting views 
and to be mistaken in their opinions. But on the sup- 
position that they wrote us they were directed by ua- 



100 THE PRO AND CON OF 

erring inspiration, it is trnly surprising that they have 
not written, so as to be clearly and definitely under- 
stood. What kind of revelation is that which requires 
thousands of elaborate tomes to explain it, and then 
when the explanation is given requires a whole library 
of books to explain the explanation ? A few of the 
Biblical writers seem to claim some sort of inspiration, 
but precisely what they meant by it we do not know. 
We have plenty of men in our day who talk very 
much as the ancient prophets did. They tell us of 
what the Lord has said to them, and come to us with 
messages which they claim to be direct from God. 
They seem to attribute their impressions, concerning 
religion to the special agency of God. In this they 
may be very honest and yet be mistaken, and so might 
the Scripture writers, referred to. 

The Bible has been very aptly compared to a box of 
lettered wooden blocks. These blocks by being prop- 
erly arranged can be made to express anything the 
manipulator desires to have expressed. So by arrang- 
ing certain texts of Scripture, the Bible may be made 
to teach nearly ail of the conflicting creeds of the nu- 
merous Christian sects. The style of the Bible is of- 
ten highly figurative. It abounds in hyperboles, 
tropes, similes, parables and symbols. This makes 
it susceptible of a variety of interpretations, and re 
ders the real meaning of the writers difficult to ascer- 
tain. The celebrated John Leland was a distinguish- 
ed and very successful Baptist clergyman for more 
than sixty years. During all this time he was a close 
student of the Bible. He availed himself of all the 
means in his power to ascertain the true import of its 
teachings. He counted every book, chapter, verse, 
word, and letter between its lids. When eighty-six 



SUPERNATURAL RELIGION. 101 

years of age he made the following candid confession ; 
44 If God formed me with talents to be an expositor of 
the holy scriptures, I have criminally neglected to im- 
prove the talents which he gave me , for now when I 
am eighty-six years old, I have not the least under- 
standing of the last nine chapters of Ezekiel ; and the 
same is true of a great part of the Bible. I read com- 
mentators, but remain ignorant. My prayer is that I 
may know and practice the truth, but I remain under 
the cloud, groveling in the dark." See the writings of 
Elder John Leland, page 733. 

WHAT SHALL WE DO WITH THE BIBLE? 

Select from it all that is valuable, especially the 
grand and glorious, theoretical and practical truths 
which it contains ; bind these into a volume, publish 
an immense edition of the same, and put a copy into 
the hands of every human being. Treasure up the 
remainder and carefully preserve it as a relic of the 
folly and superstition of past ages. 

BIBLICAL FACTS WORTH REMEMBERING. 

1. The Bible contains but two definitions of God. 
These are, " God is a spirit," " God is love." 

2. The word inspiration occurs but twice in the 
Bible. Once it is applied to the human understand- 
ing, and once to the Jewish sacred Scriptures. 

3. The word religion is not contained in the Old 
Testament, and occurs but three times in the New. 
The word religious occurs twice, and only in the New 
Testament. 

4. There is but one definition of religion in the 
Bible, and that is in James i, 27. 



102 THE PRO AND CON OF 

5. The phrase " born again," occurs but three times 
in the Bible. It was used twice by Christ and once 
by Peter. 

6. The Jews had no definite ideas on the subject of 
a future state of existence, nor of the existence of a 
Devil, and had no proper names for any of the angels 
until they were carried captive to Babylon. They de- 
rived their opinions on these subjects not from their 
sacred scriptures but from the Magian religion. 

A Chapter of Definitions. 

God. The Power that controls the universe of mat- 
ter and mind. The magnum bonum, or sum of all 
power ; the summum bonum, or sum of all good; 
the self -existent cause of all causes and effects. 

Devil. That which stands in the way of human 
happiness. 

Heaven. A state or condition of the mind and feel- 
ings consequent on the consciousness of moral recti- 
tude. 

Hell. Self reproach and condemnation for doing 
intentionally what we know, or believe to be wrong. 

Moral Agency. The power of choosing to do 
what we believe to be right in preference to doing 
what we think to be wrong. 

Free Agency. A self-determining power claimed 
by some to be possessed by man by which he is enabled 
to act in opposition to the strongest motives and con- 
trary to his strongest inclinations. 

Self-interest. The main-spring of human action. 
When unenlightened and misdirected it tends to mis- 
ery. When properly directed it produces the high- 
est good. Not until men learn that their best interest 



SUPERNATURAL RELIGION. 103 

and chief good consists in promoting the interest and 
happiness of their fellowmen will they know how to 
happily themselves. Man is necessarily a selfish be- 
ing, but to human selfishness manifested in this way 
certainly no one can object. 

Conscience. A feeling which inclines us to do 
what we believe to be right,, and reproaches us for do- 
ing what we think to be wrong. 

Wisdom. The knowledge that the order of Nature 
is such that the consequences of well or ill doing fol- 
low by an immutable law and that this order cannot 
be departed from, even by God himself, without his 
ceasing to be God. 

Folly. The belief that God's moral government is 
based on contingencies, so that the consequences of 
wrong doing may or may not be experienced by the 
wrong doer. 

Religion. Knowledge of the relation which man 
sustains to God, and of the duties which grow out of 
that relation, and the proper direction of the religious 
faculties. 

False Religion. Imperfect knowledge of man's 
relation to God, and misdirection of the religious fac- 
ulties. 

Morality. Knowledge of the relation which man 
sustains to his fellowmen and faithful discharge of the 
duties which grow out of that relation. 

Miracle. An effect without a sufficient cause. 
Various definitions have been given of this term. If 
it is defined to signify a wonder, then the world is full 
of miracles, for surely it abounds with wonders on ev- 
ery hand. If it signifies a suspension or counterac- 
tion of the laws of Nature then miracles are plenty, 
for the laws of Nature are being counteracted every 



104 THE PRO AT5TD CON OF 

day. It is a law of nature that water should seek its 
own level and run down hill, but by applying suffi- 
cient force it may be prevented from doing either. 
Nature's law makes all heavy bodies tend to the cen- 
tre of our earth, but any of us can take hold of a 
pebble or a piece of iron and force it to go in a hori- 
zontal or perpendicular direction contrary to its nat- 
ural tendency. Do we in all such cases work a mira- 
cle ? If by miracle is meant a special act of Divine 
power, without the intervention of law, we are involved 
in an inextricable difficulty ; for how can it be prov- 
ed that any event occurs without law ? The time has 
been when all' the phenomena of nature were regarded 
as special acts of Divine providence. This view is 
now admitted to be erroneous. May it not be equally 
erroneous to suppose any event to occur without law? 
If we say of any given phenomenon that it is miracu- 
lous simply because we do not know the cause of it, 
what is this but asserting that we know the cause of 
it when at the same time we admit we do not ? Be- 
sides, if all phenomena of the cause of which we are 
ignorant is miraculous, then again the world is full of 
miracles, for there are plenty of phenomena of which 
we know not the cause. The truth is that nothing is 
miraculous that is produced by an adequate cause, 
and therefore if miracles exist at all, they must con- 
sist of effects without sufficient cause. It has been 
well said that the greatest conceivable miracle would 
be that any intelligent man should understandingly 
believe in miracles. So far as we know anything 
about the system of Nature the Universe is governed 
by an order which is uniform and invariable, and no 
deviation from the unchangeableness of this order can 



SUPERNATURAL RELIGION. 105 

be admitted without more and better proof than has 
even yet been adduced. 

Faith. Confidence or trust in a thing or being bas- 
ed on what we know or think we know of that thing 
or being. There can be no faith that is not founded 
on real or supposed knowledge. 

Belief. An opinion produced by evidence either 
real or imaginary. From the nature of the mind evi- 
dence amounting to proof and perceived to be such 
must necessarily produce conviction. Men are pas- 
sive in the reception of their opinions ; they can by 
no means believe or disbelieve just what they will or 
wish, contrary to the evidence as it appears to them. 
The utmost they can do is to deny their convictions, 
or profess to have convictions w T hen they have not. 
Rational belief cannot be induced by bribes or threats 
by promises of reward for believing, nor by threats of 
punishment for unbelief. To undertake to gain the 
belief of men by bribes or deter them from unbelief 
by threats is at the best only to make of them hypo- 
crites and slaves. 

Nature. The uuiverse of matter and of mind. The 
aggregate of everything that exists. 

Truth. A fact in Nature. When stated in human 
language it is a statement in conformity with fact. 
Truth in the aggregate is the aggregate of all the facts 
that ever did, do now, or ever will exist in the Uni- 
verse. 

Matter. A form of Spirit tangible to the hum m 
senses. 

Spirit. A form of Matter not cognizable by the 
senses. All cognizable forms of matter are incarna- 
tions of the infinite spirit of the universe. As forms 
they are finite and perishable, but the material of 



106 THE PRO AND CON OF 

which they are composed is indestructible, and when 
these forms are destroyed, enters into the composi- 
tion of other forms. Thus the infinite is being con- 
st antly resolved into^the finite and the finite into the in- 
finite. This is the real work of creation which never 
had a beginning and can never have an end. Nothing 
is lost in nature. Only two things can be annihilated, 
one is form, the other is phenomena. The form of 
the human body, or of any other body which exists to- 
day, must ultimately be decomposed and resolved 
back into its original elements to enter into the com- 
position of other forms. The lightnings flash and 
thunders roar so visible to our senses for a moment, 
in a moment ceases to be, and although a similar 
phenomenon may appear the same, one can never be 
reproduced. That the infinite Spirit of the universe 
possesses inte ligence is proved from the fact that in- 
telligence exists in all animated beings. What nature 
does not contain could never be derived from nature. 
The whole question of the immortality and personal 
consciousness and identity of the human mind may 
be settled by simply deciding the question, is mind an 
entity or a phenomenon. The arguments usually 
adduced to prove the immortal personal conscious- 
ness of man are merely inferential, and however logi- 
cal they may be, they do not demonstrate, but only 
render it probable. All that relates to the future be- 
yond the present moment relates to the unknown, and 
is a mere matter of opinion. For wise and good pur- 
poses Nature has so ordered it that we can have no 
positive knowledge of the future. Every human be- 
ing knows or believes just as much about the future 
as in his present state of development he ought to 
know. He who cannot be thankful to God for all 



SUPERNATURAL RELIGION. 107 

tnat is past and trust him for all that is to come is 
"without hope and without God in the world." 
However real the future may be it is unknown to us. 
The present is real : we live in the present, and if we 
were more solicitous to discharge with fidelity the du- 
ties of the present and less disinclined to trust God to 
dispose of us as he in his infinite wisdom and goodness 
deems best, it would be far better for the interest and 
happiness of us all. The reality of a future state of 
existence for man can be demonstrated positively only 
by the reappearance in proper person, in a spiritual 
but tangible form, of some person with whom we were 
well acquainted and whom we knew to have died be- 
yond the possibility of doubt. Some men in our day 
claim to have this evidence. We will not dispute it; 
if the fact be so let it be proved. 

Natural. Any event or phenomonon which occurs 
in the established order of events or which constitutes 
both an effect and a cause in the interminable chain of 
causes and effects which never had a beginning and 
can have no end. 

Supernatural. That which is above or beyond 
Nature. As Nature, or the universe of matter and 
mind is infinite, boundless, and illimitable, there can 
be nothing above or beyond it. The power that con- 
trols our bodies resides in and not outside of the 
body. There can be no outside to that which is 
boundless in extent. The infinite power of the Uni- 
verse pervades every part of it and is present in every 
phenomonon of matter or of mind. No event can be 
supernatural. 

Reveal. To make known to the mind. 

Revelation. That which is made known to the 
mind, and of which the mind was previously ignorant. 



108 THE PRO AND CON OF 

As all our knowledge is obtained through the medium 
of the senses, whatever is communicated to the mind 
must be communicated through that medium. When- 
ever men claim to have knowledge which they have 
derived through some other channel, we may set them 
down as self-deceived or imposters. 

Inspiration. The voluntary or spontaneous action 
of the inherent powers and faculties of the human 
mind. All men are inspired but not all to the same 
extent. The highest inspiration is found in those 
men whose various faculties are harmoniously devel- 
oped to the greatest degree. 

Axiomatic, or Self-evident Truth. 

It is an incontrovertible fact that all human beings 
are introduced into the present state of existence in a 
condition of entire ignorance, and all that they ever 
know they are obliged to learn. By means of the 
senses, which are the windows of the mind, we be- 
come acquainted with ourselves and with external na- 
ture around us, and all its varied phenomena. With- 
out sensation there could be no consciousness ; with- 
out consciousness no intelligence, and without in- 
telligence the mind would be a blank. By obser- 
vation and experience we acquire a knowledge of 
facts as they exist in nature. These facts we make 
the basis of what we call reasoning. We can reason 
only from what we know or think we know. Keason- 
ing consists in deducing inferences from real or sup- 
posed facts. If the premises from which we reason 
are correct, and our reasoning is correct, the conclu- 
sion to which we arrive will- be correct. On the other 
hand, if our premises are false, or if our reasoning is 



6TJPERNA.TURAL RELIGION. 109 

false, the conclusion will also be false. It must not 
be forgotten that we can reason correctly from false 
premises, but in all such cases the conclusion will be 
as false as the premises themselves. It is highly im - 
portant, therefore, that in all our reasonings we be 
quite sure that our premises are correct. The conclu- 
sions to which we arrive by the process of reasoning 
constitute our opinions, as distinguished from what 
we know by the evidence of our senses. 

Now truth may be classified under three heads : 
1. Physical truth ; 2. Intellectual truth ; 3. Moral 
truth. The first consists of facts as they exist in 
nature, and must be verified by the testimony of the 
senses. The second consists of opinions which must 
be sanctioned by sound logical reasoning. The third 
consists (5f our opinions in regard to our obligations 
and duties toward our fellow-men, and must be tested 
by our sense of right and justice, and by their practi- 
cal utility in the world. 

Nature, then, is the great standard of truth, and 
to her teachings must be made the ultimate appeal. 
Our understanding of her teachings may be imper- 
fect ; our interpretation of her lessons may be errone- 
ous, but Nature never lies, she makes no mistakes, 
commits no errors, is guilty of no blunders. Every 
man must interpret her as best he can. Truth is the 
natural food of the mind, as bread is of the body. 
All truth necessary for man to know, is adapted to his 
capacities and powers. Truth must be its own wit- 
ness. It must approve itself to our senses, our reason 
and our moral sense. 

When the mind has attained sufficient maturity, it 
readily distinguishes truth from error, just as we 
learn to distinguish food that is wholesome from that 



110 THE PRO AND CON OF 

which is unwholesome. As the minds of men are in 
different stages of development, all cannot see alike, 
and hence there are, and must be, different opinions 
among them. But notwithstanding the great diversity 
of human beliefs, there are certain cardinahp rinciples 
which will be accepted as true by all intelligent men. 
These doctrines are so obviously true that no argu- 
ment is needed to sustain them. The simple state- 
ment of them in an intelligible form is sufficient to 
carry conviction to every unbiased mind. These 
truths we call axiomatic or self-evident, and they con- 
stitute, perhaps, the best test to apply to every dogma 

or proposition which may be presented for our con- 
sideration. 

We will now make a statement of some of these 
self-evident truths, and point out the manner'of their 
application. 

1. The whole of a thing is greater than a part of it. 

2. Nothing can be, and not be, at the same instant. 

3. Two solid substances cannot occupy the same 
space at the same instant of time. 

4. No created being can be a hundred years old the 
moment he begins to exist. 

5. No created beiDg can be equal to his creator. 

6. No truth can contradict any other truth. 

7. Two contradictory statements cannot both be 
true. 

8. A finite mind cannot comprehena the infinite. 

9. Infinite attributes are uncommunicable. 

10. Under the government of a being who is all- 
wise, all-powerful and all-good, absolute evil cannot 
possibly exist. 

11. An absolutely good being cannot create an ab- 
solutely bad being. 



SUPERNATURAL RELIGION. Ill 

12. Only one being possessed of infinite attributes 
can exist in the Universe. 

13. God cannot create a totally depraved being. 

14. A superior bc4ng who creates an inferior, know- 
ing that he will be cursed by his existence, is not good 
to that being. i 

i5. A law to which there is annexed a penalty 
which may be averted, can have no restraining influ- 
ence over viciously inclined men. 

16. A law having a penalty which, if inflicted, will 
defeat the object of the law, is not a wise law. 

17. There can be no end to that which is endless. 

18. To inflict punishment upon an innocent person, 
which is due only to the guilty, is a double act of 
gross outrage upon every principle of justice. 

19. No being can incur #uilt or punishment for 
acting in accordance with the laws of his own na- 
ture. 

20. The number one cannot be made to express 
more than one. 

21. The number three cannot be made to express 
less than three. 

22. No man is under any obligation to believe what 
appears to him to contradict his reason or sense of 
right and justice. 

23. No incredible statement is to be believed, unless 
it is sustained by an amount of evidence, which would 
make it more unreasonable to reject the evidence than 
it would be to accept the statement. 

24. The remission of the penalty of a law pre- 
supposes or implies that the penalty is not just and 
wise. 

We propose now to apply the above truths as a test 
to some of the dogmas of popular Christianity. We 



113 THE PRO AND CON OP 

shall see that they crash through the creeds and com- 
mandments of men, scattering them like leaves before 
a mighty wind. The*se dogmas, when put in the form 
of propositions, may be stated as follows : 

1. There exists a personal being called the Devil, a 
creature of God, all of whose attributes are positively 
evil, unmixed with the least particle of good. Com- 
pare this with truth No. 11. 

2. Mankind are born into the world with totally 
corrupt and depraved natures, ^ad all their inclina- 
tions are to evil, and only evil, and that continually. 
Compare with truths Nos. 13 and 19, 

3. God is one, but nevertheless exists m three per- 
sons, Father, Son and Holy Ghost, and yet there are 
not three persons, but one person. Compare with 
truths Nos. 20 and 21. 

4. Jesus Christ, although a creature of God, (see 
Rev. iii. 14,) yet possessed all the attributes of Divini- 
ty. Compare with truths Nos. 9 and 12. 

5. Evil is positive and absolute, inasmuch as it is 
destined to reign over millions of human beings for- 
ever, thereby rendering their existence a curse instead 
of a blessing. Compare with truths Nos. 10 and 14, 

6. The penalty of God's law, after it has been in- 
curred by the transgressor, may be averted by timely 
repentance. Compare with truths Nos. 15 and 24. 

7. The penalty of God's law, if inflicted on the 
violater of it, will place him in a condition that will 
forever render it impossible for him to obey the law. 
Compare with truth No. 16. 

8. The penalty of God's law is endless punishment, 
and yet Christ endured the penalty in his sufferings 
and death upon the cross. Compare with truth No, 
17. 



SUPERNATURAL RELIGION. 113 

9. The penalty of God's law, which had been in- 
curred by all mankind, was inflicted on Jesus Christ, 
who had violated no law, incurred no penalty, and 
was an entirely innocent person. Compare with truth 
No. 18. 

10. There are certain theological and religious doc- 
trines which we are required to believe, whether they 
appear to us reasonable or not, and for not believing 
them we incur the penalty of endless damnation. 
Compare with truth No. 22. 

11. The Bible contains statements in relation to 
occurrences and events which, if the same were 
made at the present day, we would not believe 
even on the authority of living witnesses, and yet 
we are requested to believe these statements on the 
authority of men who lived and wrote long after 
the events are said to have happened, men who could 
not have been eye-witnesses of what they relate, and 
of whose competency as witnesses, and reputation for 
truth and veracity we know nothing. Compare with 
truth No. 23. 

Now as truth is always consistent with itself, and 
as the above eleven propositions directly contradict 
the correspondingly numbered propositions in the list 
of self-evident truths, it follows that one or the other 
must be false. Which it is, the reader can judge. 



114 THE PRO AND CON OF 



CONCLUSION. 

Of what has been said in the foregoing pages, this 
is the sum. From the earliest dawn of intelligence 
and religion among men, truth and error, fact and fic- 
tion, reason and superstition have been strangely com- 
mingled. He who lends a helping hand in the work 
of sifting the wheat from the chaff, is a public bene- 
factor. Wherever ignorance prevails, superstition 
abounds ; wherever reason predominates superstition 
dies. First of all it is necessary to assert and main- 
tain the supremacy and authority of pure reason over 
all authority which is opposed to reason. No one 
thing has served more to perpetuate ignorance and 
superstition than the idea that the Supreme Euler of 
the Universe interferes in an exceptional manner T^ith 
the affairs of mankind, and that he has given them 
an infallible revelation in book form of his will and 
purpose concerning them. This idea was bom of 
ignorance, and has been kept in being by ignoraace 
and imposture. So long as men honestly believe that 
they have a creed sanctioned b}^ the authority of God, 
and that belief in it is essential to the welfare of man 
and society in this world, and indispensable to secure 
his happiness in eternity, so long, of necessity, there 
must be bigots and persecutors in the world. And in 
proportion as this idea prevails among the massei of 



SUPERNATURAL RELIGION. 115 

men, they must be mental and moral slaves, the dupes 
of imposition, the victims of a miserable superstition. 
The chain of evidence by which it is claimed that the 
Bible is in a special and exceptional sense the " Word 
of God," has only to be critically examined to dis- 
cover that it is only a rope of sand. The internal 
evidence is, if possible, still worse. It bears evident 
marks of a human origin. Like everything else in 
nature, or in art, it may be made the instrument of 
good or evil. It is valuable only in proportion to the 
amount of truth that it contains. The errors con- 
tained in it are more pernicious than if found any- 
where else, because they are attributed to God, and 
men are taught to believe that they must be accepted 
because God spoke them. There is no proof that God 
ever spoke to any man in an audible voice, that he 
ever exhibited himself in proper person, nor that he 
ever interpolated into the system of Nature a single 
miracle, nor that he ever revealed himself in any 
other way than through the medium of the human 
faculties. 

The idea of the existence of a semi-omnipotent evil 
spirit, called the Devil, who is a rival of God in the 
government of the world, and who is constantly 
thwarting him in his designs and defeating his pur- 
poses, is a monstrous conception of a weak, ignorant 
and debased mind. God could not create such a 
being for want of material out of which to construct 
him. He could not create himself for the same rea- 
son. The only devil that men need to guard them- 
selves against is the one each man carries around with 
him in his own bosom. A strict watch over that will 
insure us against all harm from any devil that exists 
in the Universe. 



116 THE PRO AND CON OP 

The various theologies in the world are made up of 
the opinions of men about religion. They are the f 
systematized thoughts of men on that important and 
interesting subject. Religion is one thing, the thoughts 
of men about religion are another and sometimes a 
very different thing. When these theologies are made 
a substitute for religion, they inflict a double curse 
upon mankind. First, by displacing religion, and 
second by establishing a fraud and an imposition. 
Hence it is that the popular religion of the day in its 
organized form is a sham. It sets up a false standard 
of respectability, virtue and morality. It attaches 
more importance to belief than .to practice ; to faith 
than to character and life. The man who is punctili- 
ous in performing the outward rites and ceremonies 
of religion, although an extortioner or a defaulter, or 
proud, haughty, vain, morose, selfish and exclusive, 
is thought to be more religious and more in favor with 
God than the man who disregards the ceremonies and 
professions, but is nevertheless kind, generous, be- 
nevolent and good. This foim of religion is for the 
most part wholly artificial and uncongenial with the 
nature of man. Not only is this fact admitted by its 
advocates, when they insist that it can neither be un- 
derstood nor embraced by man until he experiences a 
change of nature, but the fact that, notwithstanding 
the vast and ponderous machinery which is employed 
in its propagation, its adherents in this country, at 
least, constitute a minority of the people, proves that 
it is artificial rather than natural. When we consider 
the hundreds of thousands of clergymen and mission- 
aries who are engaged in its propagation, the vast 
sums of money employed for the same purpose, the 
millions of Bibles that have been circulated all over 



SUPERNATURAL RELIGION. 117 

the world, the trillions of tracts, papers, sermons, 
periodicals and books that have been published in its 
interest, the wonder is, not that the converts are so 
many, but that they are so few. And the fact that 
they are so few cannot be accounted for only by the 
truth that, as a whole, the system is at war with the 
nature of man. That it is unsatisfactory to its adhe- 
rents, is evinced by the fact that so many of them tell 
us that if they believed there was no endless punish- 
ment, they would " take their fill of sin in this world" 
without regard to God or the interests of humanity. 
And yet they profess to be par excellence, the lovers of 
God and mas. With all such persons religion is a 
cross, a burden, a mere make-shift to get into heaven, 
a choice between two evils. It is a terrible thing to 
be religious, but it is better to be so than it is to go to 
hell. How much more manly, and noble and truth- 
ful is the sentiment of the true religionist. If there 
were no God, no heaven, no hell, no future state of ex- 
istence, he would love and practice virtue for its own 
sake, and for the joy and peace it imparts to the soul. 
What a mistake it is to suppose that it is necessary tc. 
make ourselves miserable on earth in order to be 
happy in heaven. 

The Priesthood is a human institution. It was 
founded on the idea that God is angry with his crea- 
tures, and that his wrath can be propitiated and his 
favor secured by offerings of presents, by sacrifices 
of fruits and animals, and by the performance of 
pompous and imposing rites and ceremonies. Hence 
the supposed necessity of setting apart a class of men 
to do this work. The institution is based on a false- 
hood.* The removal of the error will cause the super- 
stition to topple to the ground. Originally the priest- 



118 THE PRO AND CON OF 

ly and kingly offices were united in the same man. 
Priestcraft and kingcraft have been mutual helps to 
each other. Together they have inflicted untold woes 
upon the children of men, by depriving them of their 
inalienable rights, and by imposing upon them bur- 
dens " which neither we nor our fathers were able to 
bear." 

Undoubtedly the Priesthood, like all the other 
learned professions, is composed of both good and 
bad men. But on the score of merit, it cannot justly 
claim any superiority over the others. Doubtless the 
Clergy are no better, nor any worse than the average 
of men, only so far as the false position which they 
occupy makes them so. With them the business of 
theological and religious teaching is a profession and 
a means of obtaining a livelihood. Before they enter 
upon their work, they must, before God and man, 
make solemn professions of faith in a certain creed 
to which they are expected to adhere and defend dur- 
ing life. On their doing this, their living depends. 
They have a pecuniary interest at stake, The creed 
must be maintained, missionary work must be done, 
contributions must be raised, revival excitements must 
begotten up, converts must be made, for all this brings 
grist to their mill. They are conservative in their 
tendencies, opposed to all innovation, tenacious and 
bigoted in their opinions and blind to all newly-dis- 
covered truth. They can seldom see the word 
truth, because, with them, it is cohered by a dollar. 
Their occupation leads them into the practice of con- 
scious or unconscious hypocrisy. They assume a 
character before the people that they by no means 
maintain in their families, or when in company with 
each other. However grave, sanctimonious and cir- 



SUPERNATURAL RELIGION. 119 

cumspect they may appear in public, when assembled 
in company by themselves, they are the most jolly of 
men. They can then crack their jokes, tell funny 
stories, relate smutty anecdotes and indulge in low 
gossip to an extent unequaled by any except profes- 
sional libertines. They denounce human selfishness, " 
and are of all men the most selfish ; declaim against 
avarice, and are mercenary and avaricious ; preach 
against pride, fashion and love of the wor.d, and yet 
are as proud, as servile imitators of fashion, and man- 
ifest as much of the love of the world as other men. 
They insist on the necessity of self-denial, but think 
themselves entitled to the most comfortable places, 
the best bits, the choicest dainties, the lion's share of 
all the good things of life. They profess to be awful- 
ly concerned and anxious for the welfare of poor sin- 
ners, but their sleek, smooth, well-to-do appearance 
gives no indication of excessive anxiety. They claim 
that men in their natural state are totally depraved, 
and yet, in this country, at least, they profess to be- 
lieve in a free government, founded on the principle 
that the people have a right to govern themselves, an 
inconsistency so glaring that it makes us suspicious 
of their sincerity. 

The art of proselyting they understand to perfec- 
tion. This is an important part of their business. 
However ignorant they may be on all other subjects, 
this they perfectly well understand. They are in 
possession of all the accumulated experience of a 
long line of predecessors extending through all of the 
past ages. They know human nature well and how 
to take advantage of its weaknesses. They make 
their appeals to the superstitious, selfish hopes and 
fears of ignorant men, and having what Archimedes 



120 THE PRO AND CON OP 

only wanted, another world on which to plant their 
machinery. It is no wonder that in almost all past 
time they have moved this at their pleasure. They 
tax all their ingenuity and eloquence in describing 
the beauties of a heaven about which they know 
nothing, and a hell of which they- are equally igno- 
rant, and the one they promise as a reward to all who 
embrace their doctrines, the other they threaten as a 
punishment to be inflicted on all who do not. In this 
way they may succeed, perhaps, in luring some and 
entrancing others, but no man was ever made really 
any better by being actuated by such selfish consid- 
erations. They condemn human selfishness and yet 
cultivate and strengthen it by making constant ap- 
peals to it. They are the greatest beggars in the 
world. Their horseleech cry of give, give, can be 
heard on the mountains and in the valleys, in the 
public streets and in the churches. At every public 
meeting ostensibly for the worship of God, the con- 
tribution box is passed around and the people are 
entreated in God's name to give. The people are as- 
sured that if they will give, God will restore to them 
four-fold, but not one of them will stand sponsor for 
the fulfillment of the promise or guarantee the refund- 
ing of the gift in case it is not. In a thousand vari- 
ety of ways vast sums of money are raised by these 
men which goes to help the warring sects to vie with 
each other in building costly churches and to support 
a class of useless drones in the human hive. 

The same envyings and jealousies that exist among 
the members of other learned professions exist among 
them. They will unscrupulously resort to measures 
to supplant a brother in an advantageous situation, 
or in the esteem and affections of the people which 



SUPERNATURAL RELIGION. 121 

lawyers and physicians scorn to adopt, and have too 
great* a sense of horror and manhood to think of 
adopting. If one of their number happens to become 
convinced of the erroneousness of his creed and has 
independence and moral courage enough to avow his 
honest opinions, the rest will pounce on him like a 
hawk upon a chicken. They will pursue him with 
misrepresentations and slander, hurl at him the epi- 
thets of " infidelity," emissary of Satan," " enemy of 
religion," call him a Judas, a renegade, an apostate, 
ostracize him from society if they can, and all to 
connteract his influence in opposition to their secta- 
rian views. On the other hand if one of their pro- 
fession is accused of any crime, the rest of the fra- 
ternity will gather around him, form a solid phalanx, 
and shield him from exposure if they can. The pecu- 
liar position occupied by these men brings them into 
close relation to the female sex. They knowing that 
women are more susceptible of religious as well as 
superstitious influence than men, regard them as their 
right-hand weapon of offensive and defensive war. 
They rely mainly on them to further their designs. 
Women educated to believe that they must depend on 
men for support and protection, will inevitably be in- 
clined to look up to the clergy for religious guidance 
and instruction. This brings them into frequent and 
familiar intimacy with that class of men. What has 
been the result ? Not only are our sectarian churches 
made up principally of women and children, but the 
history of the priesthood in all ages and countries 
proves that; by no other class of professional men have 
,so many crimes against female virtue been committed 
as by them. 
The clergy profess to look upon what they call InS- 



122 THE PRO AND CON OF 

delity and Materialism with the utmost horror and de- 
testation. They represent that the Materialistic* doc- 
trines are destructive of all joy and peace on earth, 
and deprive us of all our bright hopes and anticipations 
in regard to the future. Apparently they are entire- 
ly unconscious of the fact that they themselves are con- 
stantly promulgating a doctrine as much more horri- 
ble than anything in Materialism as it is in the power 
of the human imagination to conceive. At the very 
worst, even, ultra-Materialism would do nothing worse 
than consign us to the quiet sleep of non-existence or 
annihilation, whereas the doctrine of the clergy would 
involve a majority of our race in miseries untold, nev- 
er-ending and indescribable. All, therefore, who hope 
for a future blissful existence, must desire it with .the 
fuli knowledge that if they have it, they enjoy it 
at the expense of the endless and inconceivable suffer- 
ings of millions of their fellow men. Can a more 
monstrous exhibition of supreme selfishness be con- 
ceived ? 

These men claim, too, that by some mysterious su- 
pernatural process they have experienced such a 
change of nature, such a regeneration of character, 
such a sanctification of mind and heart as fits them to 
be the month-pieces of God, and the leaders and in- 
structors of mankind. But of what use is it for them to 
pretend to any superior sanctity, when all intelligent 
men know, and all the world ought to know, that they 
44 are men of like passions as others," that they have 
the same appetites, passions, desires, faults and foibles . 
that all men have. The criminal records of the coun- 
try prove, that in proportion to their numbers no class 
of educated men furnish a greater number of the in- 
mates of our jails and prisons than the clergy. 



SUPERNATURAL RELIGION. 123 

Now there are in the United States nearly fifty thou- 
sand clergymen. We would utilize this element of so- 
ciety. That portion of them who, by their educa- 
tion, talents and moral worth are qualified for the 
work, we would have converted into teachers in our 
schools and seminaries of learning, public lecturers 
and leaders of the people in the great work of reform. 
We would have them teach their fellow men on those 
subjects about which they have some positive knowl- 
edge, and in relation to which it is of the utmost im- 
portance that they be informed. We wou.d have 
them teach the people to know themselves, to do their 
own thinking, to form their own opinions, to under- 
stand the laws of their own nature, and the conditions 
on which the prosperity and happiness of human be- 
ings depend. We would place them on a level with 
the rest of mankind, give them the same chances, the 
same opportunities, and let them depend on themselves, 
instead of weing merely dependents upon others. As 
for the rest, we would have them expend the force and 
energy which they now spend for naught in some 
branches of trade, or agriculture, and thereby make 
themselves a blessing to the world. 

To this, or something like this, it must come at last. 
The people will not always suffer themselves^to be led 
hoodwinked to their own destruction. A revolt is sure 
to come, and when it does come it is to be hoped that 
the crimes of the priesthood against humanity will not 
be too vividly remembered against them, and that the 
sins of their predecessors who lived in the dead past 
will not be visited on those who exist in the living 
present. 

Religion is natural to man. It is not an exotic which 
must be grafted upon him, but is indigenous in the soil 



124 THE PRO AND CON OF 

of his heart and mind. God has endowed him with re 
ligious faculties which seek gratification. It is only 
necessary to develop and properly direct the religious 
powers to make him all that religion requires. Man's re- 
ligious faculties, like all his other faculties, are liable 
to be misdirected. He possesses no appetite, no pas- 
sion, no faculty that is not in itself good. All that is 
wrong in man consists in the perversion or abuse of 
powers which are in themselves good. When his re- 
ligious faculties are properly directed, they tend to 
good, and only good, both to himself and his fellow 
men. When misdirected they are liable to produce 
an incalculable amount of mischief. It is a law of na- 
ture that the very best things are capable of being con- 
verted into the very worst. Thus it is that religion 
when perverted may become a curse to its possessor 
and render him a curse to the world. Woe to the 
world when a religious fanatic or monomaniac is let 
loose in it! Conceiving that he only has God's truth, 
and that the salvation of the world depends upon the 
universal acceptance of it by men, and that all who 
do not accept it are the enemies of God and religion, 
he goes forth full of bigotry and intolerance, scatter- 
ing firebrands, arrows and death in the world, and de- 
nounces the thunderbolts of God's wrath upon all he 
deems to be God's foes. Animated by a zeal without 
knowledge, he has no mercy on others, nor even on 
himself. He will endure privations, encounter the 
greatest difficulties, brave the most imminent dangers, 
bid defiance to tortures, eagerly shed his blood or lay 
down his life to seal his testimony. He may be com- 
pared to a lion uncaged, a tiger unchained, a hyena 
let loose. 
To be truly religious is to be God-like in character 



SUPERNATURAL RELIGION. 125 

and disposition. To be merciful and mild, peaceable 
and kind, charitable toward all, forbearing and for- 
giving even toward enemies. Religion is true man- 
hood. To be religious is to be a well developed man, 
a true gentleman, a lover of all men, both good and 
bad. The distinction between good and bad men is 
only a difference of degree. None are completely- 
good, none are entirely bad. Human nature is the 
same in all men, but is manifested in a variety of 
ways. The human race furnishes one of the best 
illustrations of the law of unity in variety. The differ- 
ence in the character and disposition of men is a dif- 
ference of organization, temperament, education, cli- 
mate and condition. Men may be found, even in civ- 
ilzed society, in all the intermediate stages of develop- 
ment between the lowest barbarism and the highest 
civilization. In proportion as a man is wicked he is 
barbarous, in proportion as he is good he is civilized. 
Notwithstanding the diversity of character and action 
among men, all are prompted to action by one grand 
leading motive, the desire of happiness and the dread 
of misery. Men seek happiness in a variety of ways, 
and commit many blunders and mistakes in their ef- 
forts to obtain it. The good find it, the bad miss it. 
The Christian deludes himself if he supposes that he 
is actuated by motives any different from those of oth- 
er men. If he renounces what he supposes to be the 
pleasures of this world for the sake of the glory and 
bliss of eternity, he has made a good bargain, he has 
looked out for number one. The balance of profit 
and loss is decidedly in his favor. No shrewd Yankee 
could hope to make a better bargain. If the wicked 
expect to find happiness in sin, they commit a capital 
mistake, which, sooner or later, it is to be hoped they 



126 THE PRO AND CON OF 

will discover and correct. The good are to be con- 
gratulated on account of their goodness, the bad are 
to be commiserated on account of their badness. We 
are, therefore, to have " compassion on the ignorant 
and those who are out of the way." We are to be as 
God is, 44 kind even to the unthankful and the evil." 

Is this religion a grevious burden on men ? No, it is 
no burden at all. Is its yoke heavy ? No yoke about 
it. Is it hard to practice ? Far from it. Will it 
make our pleasures less on earth ? It will greatly en- 
hance and increase them. Will the practice of it sub- 
ject us to the scorn and derision of ungodly men ? 
44 Who is he that will harm you if you be a follower of 
that which is good ?" No ; even the vilest of men are 
so constituted by nature that they cannot but respect 
virtue, honesty, goodness, and those who practice these 
virtues, whether they themselves practice them or not. 

The truly religious man, freed from every vestige 
of superstition, full of confidence in God and human 
nature, views this life as a school, a state of discipline 
for the development of the powers and faculties of 
man. He believes that for this purpose man has been 
subjected to many and grevious evils, but that never- 
theless, there is much more happiness than misery in 
the world, more virtue than vice, more good than evil. 
Evil in his view is but the shadow of s;ood. 44 There 
will be briers where berries grow." If we have the 
good wo must take the evil also. Error he conceives 
to have no existence except in the opinions of men. 
Outside the human mind there are no errors, no mis- 
takes. Error has no basis in nature, no solid founda- 
tion to rest on. It, like evil, may be outgrown. The 
error of to-day may be supplanted, extinguished, an- 
nihilated by the truth of to-morrow. It is, therefore, 



SUPERNATURAL RELIGION. 127 

transient, evanescent, passing away. So with evil. 
There is no absolute evil in the Universe. Every stage 
of human existence has its apparent evils. The igno- 
rance, dependence and helplessness of infancy and 
youth are outgrown when we come to be men. The 
evils connected with manhood we are relieved from 
in old age, and the evils incident to old age are termi- 
nated by death. We may hope that the evils of our 
present state of existence will not follow us into an- 
other and higher mode of existence. Whether evils 
of any kind will exist in that life is more than we can 
tell. But if they do, we may be sure that the Being 
who has so guarded the interests of his creatures here, 
that none of us can suffer only a certain amount of 
pain without its terminating in death, will so protect 
his creatures there, as to render their existence a bless- 
ing and not a curse. God's ways are perfect. "He 
hath done all things well." He has so established the 
order of the moral world as that no virtue can be un- 
rewarded, no vice unpunished. The man who inflicts 
an injury on his fellow man, at the same time inflicts 
a much greater one on himself. It is better to be 
slandered than to slander, to be stolen from than to 
steal, to be murdered than to murder, "to suffer 
wrong than to do wrong v Nature knows nothing 
about forgiveness in the sense of the remission of retri- 
bution, nothing about inflicting punishment upon the 
innocent for the sins of the guilty ; nothing about 
atoning for sin by shedding the blood of innocent vic- 
tims. On the contrary the great law of Nature is, 
" he that doeth wrong shall suffer for the wrong which 
he hath done", and there is no respect of persons." 
It is not for us to say who are the proper objects of 
God's righteous retribution, nor who should be there- 



128 ' THE PRO AND CON OP 

cipients of his blessings. We know but liltle about 
ourselves, and still less about our fellow men. We 
cannot determine the amount of guilt or innocence of 
a single human being. It ill becomes us to presume 
to sit in judgment on our fellows. God only can be 
the proper judge, and "the judge of all the earth will 
do right." It is for us to look with charity upon all 
men, to encourage them who are in the right way, 
and to pity those who do wrong . 

The true religionist rises to the conception that the 
human race constitutes a brotherhood, that we all have 
one Father, all belong to one Church— the Church of 
Humanity ; that we are all teachers, and at the same 
time learners in that Church, that the Bible of Na- 
ture includes all books, all objects, all sounds, all 
thoughts and all sensations. That the rites and cere- 
mones of this Church consist in doing good to all 
men as we have opportunity. The whole duty of man 
consists in doing all the good he can, and as little harm 
as possible. 

In regard to futurity, the philosophic religionist re- 
alizes that all that relates to the future, beyond the 
present moment, must be included in the domain of the 
unknown. Aside from the accounts both ancient and 
modern of the re-appearance of persons in the spirit 
who were known to have lived and died on earth — ac- 
counts which are believed by some and discredited by 
others — the veil which separates the future life from 
the present has never been lifted, much less removed. 
The question "if a. man die shall he live again " has 
been as thoroughly investigated and discussed as any 
other. Able, learned, and good men have advocated 
both sides of the question. Whenever a peopie emerge 
from a condition of ignorance and semi-barbarism 



SUPERNATURAL RELIGION. 129 

doubters and unbelievers appear among them, the 
number increases in the ratio that intelligence is dif- 
fused, and civilization, culture and refinement are pro- 
moted. Belief is the most general among those who 
think and know the least on the subject. Doubt is all- 
most exclusively confined to thinking, intelligent, 
well-informed men. We draw no inference from this, 
but simply state the fact. 

If we analyze and criticise the argument usually re- 
lied on to prove a future life, it is plain that they are 
inconclusive and unsatisfactory except to those who 
are resolutely determined to cling to a belief in it with- 
out regard to argument or evidence. To the calm en- 
quirer whose mind is regulated by evidence in believ- 
ing, and who has no desire to believe anything but 
what is true, however pleasing and agreeable the be- 
lief may be, they will be seen to be mere inferences, 
often from premises which are wholly absurd, or deduc- 
tions from premises which do not warrant the con- 
clusion. 

No argument m its favor is more frequently appeal- 
ed to, nor more generally relied on, than that founded 
on the desire of men for immortality, and the happi- 
fying influence of a belief in it. It is surprising that 
well-informed men can delude themselves with an ar- 
gument like this. Who does not know that the hopes 
as well as the fears of mankind can be as readily ex- 
cited by fiction as by fact. And who does not know 
that the idle fancies of our childhood days are dis- 
pelled by age and experience ? In like manner stern 
truths of logic and philosophy dissipate the ideal fan- 
cies of our maturer years. 

On the other hand it is impossible to prove 
that there is no future life. The utmost that un- 



130 THE PRO AND CON OP 

believers can do is to nullify the arguments of the be- 
liever by demonstrating their entire fallacy. The ques- 
tion then relates to the unknown, if not to the un- 
knowable. It opens a wide field for the imagination to 
roam in. All our thoughts on the subject are purely 
ideal and subjective. That they are not reliable is 
proved by the fact that the conceptions of different 
persons are in direct contradiction. To persons who 
abound in hope, the picture of the future will appear 
painted in the most gorgeous colors; to those in whom 
fear predominates it will present only the blackness 
of darkness forever. 

The influence of the belief in the doctrine in ques- 
tion will depend on the character and disposition of 
the believer, and the form in which it is held. In cal- 
culating its influence upon character, it is necessary to 
keep in view the following facts. 1. No speculative 
opinion has the power to change the nature of man. 
2. The natural character and dispostion of men being 
dependent on organization and temperament can be 
effected but very little by their opinions. The ut- 
most that opinion can do, is to call into exercise feel- 
ings and sentiments which already exist (in a latent 
condition perhaps) in the individual, and give direc- 
tion to his actions. 3. So much stronger is the natu- 
ral character than opinion, that men often act in a 
manner entirely inconsistent with their belief. Men 
are not in character and disposition what they are, be- 
cause they believe as they do. Hence we have good 
and bad men of all forms of belief, of all sects and of 
no sect. A good man will be good in spite of his be- 
lief, however bad ; a bad man will be bad in spite of 
his belief, however good. Belief is not a sure index 
of character, but conduct is. '* By their fruits ye 



SUPERNATURAL RELIGION. 131 

shall know them" is the best test that can be applied. 

The doctrine of a future life is held in a great varie- 
ty of forms. In some of its phases it is comparat ve- 
ly harmless. But in the form in which it has been, and 
is now most popular in the world, if it is capable of 
doing some good, it is also capable of doing, and has 
done an immense amount of mischief. No doctrine, 
whatever, appeals with more power to the hopes and 
fears of mankind, or is better calculated to stir their 
emotions, and call into exercise all the feelings of 
their nature. When we consider how general has 
been the belief in it, and how much it has been en- 
forced and enlarged upon, it is truly wonderful that 
its influence has not been much greater than it has. 
It can only be accounted for on the supposition that 
its most intelligent believers have not more than half 
belived it, and that the ignorant multitude have ac- 
cepted and endorsed it, without at all comprehend- 
ing its full import and meaning. In the opinion of 
the writer its influence for good has been very gene- 
ally overestimated, while its power to do harm has 
not been realized by the many, and has been perhaps 
exaggerated by the few. 

In contemplating the subject, we have often 
wondered why men do not more generally view it in 
the light of reason and common sense. 

A conscious existence after death is something about 
which all knowledge is withheld from us. If knowl- 
edge on the subject would be a blessing, it would not 
be withheld. We may, therefore, conclude that it is 
best for us to be ignorant in relation to it. We have 
been pushed into being by a power over which we have 
no control. This power, if it knows anything, knows 
a great deal better than we do whether it is best for us 



132 THE PRO AND CON Or 

to live another life or not. If it is Dest, we snail cer- 
tainly live again. If it is not best it is folly for us to 
desire it. The best course for us to pursue, then, is oo 
moderate our desires, and to banish all anxious 
thoughts upon the subject. Anxious tnoughs, even, 
in relation to the to-morrow of our present life was con- 
demned by the teacher, Christ ; why should we be 
more anxious about another life ? It was a noble say- 
ing of the great Spinoza, cc the free man thinks not of 
death, bnt only of life." The great question for each 
one of us is not, shall I live and be happy to-morrow 
or next year, or in another state of existence, but do 
I live and am I happy to-day ? 

Those who embrace the popular view may boast, as 
they are wont to do, about the superiority of their 
faith; but who has the most confidence in the Supreme 
Power, he who is willing to trust his destiny, both for 
lime and eternity, to Nature's disposal, or he who is 
constantly troubled and anxious in regard to what final 
disposition is to be made of him ? We know our pres- 
ent existence terminates in death, but we do not know, 
nor have we good reason to believe, that death is an 
evil, unless it be an evil not to exist. But if it is an 
evil not to exist, what a monstrous and inconceiva- 
ble evil has been endured by every individual of the hu- 
man race, in that, during the incalculable lapse of 
time before our existence here, we had no exist- 
ence. At most, death can only put us back into the 
same condition we were before our existence here. 
Not to be, can be no evil, but life, if it is a miserable 
life, is an evil for which there is no remedy but death. 
Neither life, nor death is an entity. Both are phenome- 
nal. Death is the absence of life, or the negation of 
life. Nothing is more natural than death. Life and 



SUPERNATURAL RELIGION. 133 

death are intimately connected. They run parallel 
with each other. "We no sooner "begin to live tLbcn we 
commence to die. Death pervades every kingdom in 
nature. Man, beasts, birds, fishes, insects, vegeta- 
bles, all alike are subject to the dominion of death. 
Can it be that a thing so natural, so common, so uni- 
versal can be an evil ? For aught we know, life can- 
not exist in finite beings only in connection with death. 
Death is not a force. If life is a force, it is far more ra- 
tional to find fault with life rather than death, inasmuch 
as life deserts us at last and consigns us to the condi- 
tion of death. Nothing serves better to illustrate the 
pernicious influence of false education than the fact 
that that which men most dread and fear of all things 
on earth has the least power to do them harm. 

It may be objected that this view leaves us in uncer- 
tainty in regard to the future. But is there not the 
same uncertainty in relation to everything that is fu- 
ture to the present moment ? We know that we live 
to-day, we do not know that we shall to-morrow nor 
next year. When we close our eyes in sleep we are 
not certain that we shall ever be aroused from our slum- 
ber. However certain the believer may be that he 
shall live again after death, he is not certain in regard 
to what his doom may be in that life, or if he is, his 
mind must be in painful uncertainty in regard to the 
doom of others. 

Again it may be said, that, however plausible our 
view may be, it is at least safer to adopt the popular 
belief. If we proceed on the principle here indicated, 
our only safety lies in taking refuge in the bosom of 
the Catholic Church. The truth is, our true safety con- 
sists in being honest with ourselves, and true to our 
own convictions. He who pursues any other course is 



134 THE PRO AND CON OF 

either a slave, or a hypocrite and knave. Honesty is 
the mark of nobleness and manhood, and will carry a 
man triumphantly through life, through death, and 
through any life that may await him in the future. 
The motto of every rational man should be this: "The 
best possible security for the future is a wise improve- 
ment of the present." Once more : It may be object- 
ted that according to our common-sense view of the 
doctrine of a future life, for anything we know to the 
contrary, death may terminate the existence of man 
forever, and this is rather a gloomy view of human 
destiny. 

There are four prominent views of the destiny of 
man, which it may be well to state and view in 
contrast. The first supposes that at death, man is re- 
solved into his original elements, and is, so far as per- 
sonal consciousness and identity are concerned, as 
though he had never been. One common destiny 
awaits the human race. In the grave all ranks are lev- 
eled, the king lies as low as the beggar, and all distinc- 
tions are done away, If we are insensible to happi- 
ness, we are also beyond the reach of sorrow, suffer- 
ing and pain. If we suffer a loss by death, it is a loss 
of which we shall be forever entirely unconscious. 
That this view is not as cheering as we are capable of 
conceiving we have no disposition to deny. 

The next view is, that there is to be a future life to 
be enjoyed by a portion of the human race, while by 
far the largest portion are to be annihilated forever. 

The third view admits a future life for all, but con- 
tends that while it will be a life of blessedness to a 
comparative few, to untold millions it will be a life of 
inconceivable wretchedness and woe. 

The last view supposes that the. future life will ul- 



SUPERNATURAL RELIGION. 135 

tiuiately result in the endless enjoyment and happi- 
ness of all mankind. 

The first view may be somewhat gloomy, but it is 
sustained by all human observation and experience. 
The second may be a little less gloomy, but that is all 
that can be claimed in its favor. On the ground of 
reason, we can see no good cause for thinking that 
there is a sufficient difference between the best man 
that ever lived and the worst one, to make an infinite 
difference in their destiny. The third has a bright 
side, but it has also a dark side. And the dark side is 
so inexpressibly horrible and revolting as to obscure 
even its bright side. It does not become its advo- 
cates to object to the first view, on account of its 
gloominess, so long as their view is so much more li- 
able to the same objection. If the fourth view could 
be sustained by a sufficient amount of evidence, no 
possible objection could lie against it. All it lacks is 
the proof. Reason sees that the order of nature is, 
that whatever has a beginning must have an end. 
Immortality can be predicated only of that which has 
had no beginning in time. And as man, as a conscious, 
thinking, being had a beginning in time, so in time 
he must have an end. It cannot be denied, however, 
that the same power that conferred existence upon us, 
may do so again ; but whether it will or not, is more 
than we mortals at present know. 

Reader, if you are morbidly sensitive on the question 
of immortality, you may not like the views above pre- 
sented. Yery well, my friend, you are at liberty to 
seek for better, and to find them if you can, but I beg 
of you not to deem me your enemy because I tell you 
what I believe to be the truth. 

[the end.] 



136 A SKETCH OF THE 



A Sketch of the life of E. E. Guild. 



When the foregoing pages were nearly ready for 
the press I wrote to Mr. G. requesting a short notice 
of his past career, believing that the same would be 
acceptable to the readers of this little volume. In his 
reply he declined the suggestion, saying he did not 
think his life had been eventful enough, or that it had 
possessed importance enough to justify anything be- 
ing said about it. 

I still felt that a brief sketch of the writer of the 

foregoing pages would be acceptable to those who read 

them. I wrote to Dr. T. L. Brown of Binghamton, 

whom I knew to be well acquainted with Mr. Guild, 

requesting him to send, unknown to his friend, a short 

account of his journey in life. He kindly sent the 

following, and every reader will undoubtedly thank 

the Doctor for the interesting sketch of the man who 

has led so blameless a life — who penned the forgoing 

sensible pages and who was too modest to write a 

word about himself. 

The Publisher. 

Mr. D. M. Bennett, Dear Friend: Everet Emmett 
Guild, was born in Delhi, Delaware County, New 
York, May 6th, 1811. His parents were from New 



LIFE OF E. E. GUILD. 137 

England, his father was a native of Connecticut, his 
mother of Massachusetts. When he was three years 
of age the family moved to Walton, sixteen miles 
from Delhi, on the west branch of the Dele ware river 
where the sujbect of this notice was reared until he 
became of age. His father was an Episcopalian, lib- 
eral and tolerant in his views and feelings; his mother 
was a Congregationalism strongly religious, very sin- 
cere, and took unwearied pains to indoctrinate the 
minds of her children into the creed of her church. 
She, however, possessed a great share of good sense, 
and attached more importance to a correct life, than 
to a correct belief. She was a conscientious believer 
in supernatural religion and the divinity of the Bible. 
These facts are mentioned in order to show under 
what religious influence Mr. Guild was brought up. 

Aside from his own efforts to educate himself, he has 
had no advantages of education except those af- 
forded by the common school, and a course of study 
of theology under the direction of Kev. Stephen E. 
Smith, a prominent Universalist clergyman, then of 
Clinton, Oneida County, N. Y. 

In 1835 he commenced officiating as a clergyman, 
preaching mainly in the counties of Deleware, Che* 
nango and Otsego in New York, and Susquehanna, 
Luzerne and Wayne in Pennsylvania. He com- 
menced his public career with views more nearly re- 
sembling those of the Hicksite Quakers than any oth- 
er and always called himself a Quaker Universalist. 

He attached but little importance to forms and cer- 
emonies, but insisted most strenuously on the practice 
of morality and virtue. It was often remarked by 
some who heard him preach: "he will never succeed 
he preaches too much truth" or, u he insists too much 



138 A SKETCH OP THE 

on honesty." During his ministry he engaged quite 
extensively in theological debate, holding some ten or 
twelve public discussions with prominent clergymen 
of the Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist, Christian and 
Second Adventist denominations. All these debates, 
however excepting one, were engaged in by him in an- 
swer to invitations given by his antagonists. Mr 
Guild always identified himself with the progressive 
school of theologians and did not hesitate to give the 
advocates of new views an open field and fair play. 
Possessed of an inquiring, investigating turn of mind 
and devoting much time to study and reflection, he 
kept constantly making advances, until at last he was 
completely emancipated from all traditional beliefs, 
and conscientiously adopted the opinions which are 
set forth in this book. These views, as he informs us, 
are the result of more than forty years of patient, per- 
severing, and untiring investigation. Mr. Guild is 
emphatically a " self-made man." He affords a fair 
example of what an individual may accomplish for 
himself by well directed eflort. Me appeared upon 
the stage of public action, with less than a hundred dol- 
lars in his possession, and, unaided by the patronage 
of rich or influential friends, and although holding 
opinions at variance with those of the majority in the 
communities in which he has resided, he has succeeded 
in procuring for himself and family a decent support, 
and in gaining the respect and good will even of those 
who were the most bitterly opposed to his opinions. 
In his youth he was distinguished for his love of ath- 
letic sports and exercises. In running, leaping, 
wrestling, lifting, ball-playing, etc., he was seldom ex- 
celled by his youthful companions. He was also fond 
of hunting, fishing, and trapping, and was great'y 



LIFE OF E. E. GUILD. 139 

successful in these pursuits. In the meantime he was 
an active member of a debating club in the village 
where he resided, which met once a week during the 
Winter season, and it was in this school that he ac- 
quired the habit of investigating, and learned the art 
of debating, and of public speaking. Mr. Guild is 
naturally inclined to be thoughtful and serious, but is 
also fond of innocent mirth, and relishes jokes, anec- 
dotes and amusing stories right well. He is an intui- 
tive logician. It is as natural to him to arrange his 
ideas in a logical method, as it is to breathe. His an- 
tagonists in public debate, very soon learned never to 
concede to hi in his premises, for if they did they were 
sure of being "driven to the wall." Mr. Guild has 
a passionate thirst for knowledge, and has devoted a 
great deal of time to the acquisition of useful informa- 
tion. 

There is scarcely any subject that ever engaged bu- 
rn a q attention and interest that he has not inves- 
tigated to a greater or less extent. He is uniformly 
good natu^ed and treats everybody with proper defer- 
ence and respect. He never obtrudes his opinions on 
others ; but when questioned, never hesitates to 
openly and frankly avow them. He has the most 
perfect command of himself, and although possessed 
of a sanguine, nervous, excitable temperament, it 
seems almost impossible to throw him from his 
balance even under the most trying circumstances. 

Some of. his antagonists in public debate tried their 
best to irritate and "provoke him to wrath ; " but 
never succeeded in a single instance. On one occa- 
sion when his opponent was aggravatingly insulting 
and abusive, and full of wrath, shook his fist in his 
fac« expressing wonder that God should suffer such a 



140 A SKETCH OF THE 

wretch to live, Mr. G. arose and very coolly remark- 
ed, that he had often said that he would be willing to 
trust his eternal destiny to the decision of the worst 
man that ever lived ; hut now, said he, I take that 
back, I have found one man that I dare not trust to 
that extent. 

On the same occasion the debate was attended 
throughout by the wife of a Presbyterian Deacon. 
At the close she remarked that Mr. S, might be the 
most orthodox in his belief, "but surely," said she, 
"Mr. G. is by far the most amiable man, and mani- 
fests most of the Christian spirit." 

None of his opponents ever complained of his 
treating them in any other than in a fair, respectful and 
gentlemanly manner. Among the various anecdotes 
related of him, here is one that is quite amusing as 
)llustrative of his tact in warding off designed insults : 
He was attending a quarterly conference of the Che- 
nango Association of Universalists, which was held 
in a Baptist church, very much in opposition to the 
wishes of some of its proprietors. He was appointed 
to preach in the forenoon of the second day. On 
going to the Church in the morning, a slip of paper 
was found pinned to the door, on which was written 
this passage of scripture : " O full of all subtlety and 
all mischief, thou child of the Devil," etc. It was 
handed around among the preachers, and the inquiry 
arose what should be done with it. Mr. G. very 
quietly told them to hand it to him and let him dis- 
pose of it as he saw fit. 

After the preliminary services in the pulpit, he arose 
to preach his sermon ; but before naming his text, 
coolly took from his vest pocket the slip of paper, read 
it, and explained the circumstances under which it 



* LIFE OF E. E. GUILD. 141 

was found. He then remarked that he supposed it 
was designed to characterize the preachers then pres- 
ent as children of the Devil, and so far as it was in- 
tended to apply to him, he begged the privilege of 
assigning a few reasons for thinking that he was not 
a child of the Devil, as follows : 

First, It is a law of Nature that children should 
bear some resemblance to their parents in their phys- 
ical conformation. The Devil, it is said, has a cloven 
foot, but if you examine my feet, you will find no 
such deformity. 

Second, It is also nature's law that children should 
resemble their parents in their natural character and 
disposition. The Devil is said to foe constantly seek- 
ing whom he may devour, but I was never known to 
devour a single human being, nor to manifest the 
least disposition to do so. 

Third, My mother is a member of the Congrega- 
tional Church, and if you go to her and tell her that 
I am a child of the Devil, she will indignantly repel 
the charge and show you the way to the door. 

Mr. G. was never a sectarian nor a proselyter in 
the ordinary acceptation of these terms. He simply 
proclaimed what he believed to be the truth, and left 
it optional with his hearers in regard to signing creeds 
and connecting themselves with ecclesiastical organ- 
izations. He is a reformer, and has been identified 
with all the principal reforms of his day, such as the 
dress reform, the dietetic reform, prison reform, re- 
form of the criminal code, etc. He advocated the 
gradual emancipaticn of the Southern slaves, and 
engaged zealously in the advocacy of the policy of 
making the public lands free to actual settlers. He 
assisted in starting a paper in Honesdale, Pa., devot- 



142 A SKETCH OF THE 

ed to this cause, and was one of its principal contrib- 
utors. 

Being an intimate acquaintance and friend of Galu- 
sha A. Grow, a Congressman from Pennsylvania, and 
once Speaker of the House of Eepresentatives, he 
was instrumental in bringing that subject to his no- 
tice, the result of which was that Mr. Grow intro- 
duced the Homestead Bill into Congress, and cham- 
pioned it until it became a law. He is also an ardent 
advocate of the temperance cause. 

He has been a somewhat voluminous writer. Con- 
tributions from from his pen have appeared in a num- 
ber of different papers. Id 18^4 he published a de- 
nominational book, entitled, "The Universalist's Book 
of Keference." It has passed through five editions, 
and is believed to have had a larger sale than any 
other book of the kind, except one, ("The Life of 
Rev. John Murray,") which has been much longer in 
market. 

As a public speaker, Mr. Guild is slow, cool, delib- 
erate, argumentative, methodical, logical, impressive, 
and as forcible as his physical strength will admit of. 
He makes no attempt at oratory, and uses only such 
words as are in common use. He has a peculiar 
faculty of expressing himself clearly and intelligibly, 
and of making himself most thoroughly understood. 
He always has an object in view, and shoots straight 
at the mark. Having a vivid perception of the con- 
nection and relation of one truth to another, and of 
the unity of truth, his discourses are often too thor- 
ough, elaborate and exhaustive to suit the taste of the 
unthinking multitude, and can be appreciated only 
by intelligent, thinking men. He views all subjects 
from the standpoint of reason and common sense, 



LIFE OF E. E. GUILD. 143 

and seems to scorn to make use of the tricks and arts 
so often employed by public speakers for mere sensa- 
tion and effect. He appears to rely wholly on argu- 
ment and persuasion to accomplish his purpose. O. 
S. Fowler once remarked of him, when examining 
his head, " This man has a reason for everything he 
believes and for everything he does ; his head is full 
of ideas, and arguments with him are as plenty as 
blackberries in August." 

As a clergyman, no charge was ever brought against 
him, except that of heresy. 

As a man and a citizen, he is without reproach. 
He now resides in Binghamton, N. Y., has retired 
comparatively from the active duties of life, and 
claims to have enjoyed as much of life as usually falls 
to the lot of mortals. In theology, he is a Pantheist; 
in philosophy, a Materialist; in medicine, an Eclectic; 
in Religion, a Rationalist, and in morals a Utilita- 
rian. Truly yours, T. L. Brown. 

Binghamton, N. F., Oct. 18th, 1875. 



BOOKS I BOOKS! BOOKS! 

D. M.. BENNETT, 

PUBLISHER AND BOOKSELLER, 

335 BROADWAY, NEW YORK, 



Will furnish by Mail, books of all kinds, and in all fields 
of Literature, embracing 

Science, 

Philosophy, 
History, 

Biography, 
Medicine, 
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A SPECIALTY 

Made of Scientific. Liberal and Spiritualistic Books. 

Books carefully packed and sent postpaid upon receipt 
of Publisher's price. Address 

D. M. BENNETT, 

835 Broadway. N. I. 



Did Jesus Really Exist? 



BY D. M. BENNETT. 



The extreme doubt whether such a person as Jesus 
Christ had a real existence is strengthened more 
and more the fuller the matter is investigated. The 
fact that he never wrote a line that has been handed 
down to posterity, that the world has no possible 
means of knowing any thing about such a personage 
having lived save what is obtained from the unknown 
authors of what are called the gospels of Matthew, 
Mark, Luke and John; and when there is no evidence 
that these books were written before the second cen- 
tury, it can be readily understood that the life and 
character of the individual under consideration is ex- 
tremely mythical, as there is no cotemporaneous his- 
history showing that such a person lived. 

Our opponents frequently quote a paragraph found 
in Josephus, corroborating the claim that such a per- 
son did live at one time in Judea. But Dr. Lardner, 
one of the most eminent Christian historians, long 
ago pronounced this an interpolation, a forgery, and 
that it never existed in the original manuscript of Jo- 



\ 



2 DID JESUS KEALLY EXIST? 

sephus. This opinion of Dr. Lardner was also enter- 
tained by Gibbon, Ittigius, Blondell, Le Clerc, Van- 
dale, Bishop "War burton, and Tanaquil Faber, the 
most of whom are noted Christian authorities. In 
fact the first Christian writers and authors of the 
past, as well as of the present day, unite in agreeing 
that the paragraph alluded to is a forgery. Eusebius, 
in the fourth century, was the first to call attention to 
the spurious passage, and he is generally accredited 
with having inserted the paragraph referrring to 
Jesus. On several occasions Eusebius proved him- 
self amply able to use interpolation, spurious ad- 
ditions and forgeries. Mosnenh, uThis Ecclesiasti- 
cal History, page 70, in alluding to this charac- 
teristic of the early Christian Fathers, uses this 
language, that "it was not only lawful, but commend- 
able to deceive and lie for the sake of truth and 
piety." It is lamentable that so little reliance can be 
placed upon the authenticity of the Christian writers 
in the early centuries of our era. The fact that they 
were crafty and designing men, and that they used 
their best abilities to build up the new system of 
religion which they had allied themselves to, requires 
no additional proof. 

It is a well-known fact that, in the first and second 
centuries, there were three distinct classes of Chris- 
tians; one the Gnostics, who firmly held a that such a 
person or individual as Christ had not had an exist- 
ence as a man in the flesh, and that he was a spirit 
only. The Arians were another class, who admitted 
that there was a man Jesus, but that he was merely a 
human being, and not a God. The third class main- 
tained that he not only existed in the flesh, but that he 
was also the eternal God of heaven and earth. Tho 



DUD JESUS KEALLY EXIST? 3 

disputes and quarrels between these contending fac- 
tions became very heated and bitter, until finally the 
third class, by strategy and superior numbers, over- 
powered those who denied that such a person as 
Christ had had a real existence, and forced them to 
abandon the field, and it afterwards became a recog- 
nized dogma of the Church that Jesus had not only 
been a man, but, also, was absolutely God. But that 
large numbers in the first two centuries did persist- 
ently and stoutly contend that such a person as Christ 
had not had a real existence in the body, cannot be 
efitectuaiiy gainsaid, and is well calculated to excite 
our liveliest suspicions, 

ia taking into consideration the characteristics of 
m*«* wno have played an active part in different ages 
of feW* world In establishing the various systems of 
raijrion and creeds the world has known, it is not 
difficult to appreciate how such a system as Christian- 
ity might have gained a foothold among men without 
the events strictly having transpired which are claim- 
ed. In our own day, we have seen Mormonism arise 
from the merest pretenses and the barest assertions, 
and have seen it within a few decades grow into a 
system that now has very considerable strength and 
has the implicit confidence of thousands. 

Mahometanism is another illustration of this relig- 
ious growth. It originated in the claims, assertions 
and assumptions of an individual, and gradually spread 
over several countries until hundreds of millions 
accepted it as a God-given religion, and they have not 
a shade of doubt but what it is the most divine bequest 
ever made to the world. Those of us who are not under 
the influence of this religion, can easily see where its 
devotees are mistaken^ and that they have been mis- 



4 DID JESUS REALLY EXIST? 

led by designing or deluded leaders. If it is impossi- 
ble for us to feel the same veneration for their creed 
and their superstitions that they do, we can compla- 
cently and dispassionately view the position they 
occupy, with the disinterestedness of an outside ob- 
server, and can easily perceive the mistakes and falla- 
cies they have made, as well as comprehend the unteu- 
ability of the divine claims they set up. 

So it is with Christianity. To those not encircled 
within the influence which it exerts, and who do not 
bow to the demands which it sets up, are able to see 
not only its defects, but the errors it makes in claim- 
ing a direct divine origin. 

When we find that the authorities upon which a 
system rests are defective, and that they do not cor- 
roborate the claims put forth by its advocates, we 
have good grounds to doubt its truth. We remarked 
that the four gospels were unknown till near the close 
of the second century, or rather that there is no proof 
of their having an earlier existence. Irenseus was 
the first Christian writer who referred to them or rec- 
ognized them as being extant, and he died in the 
forepart of the third century. Other pretended and 
spurious gospels, almost without number, had been 
known prior to this, but they were discarded as 
fraudulent, and those upon which the grand fabric of 
Christianity is founded, were unknown till near two 
hundred years after the time Jesus was said to have 
lived. What an uncertain data to build upon. What a 
fine opportunity was here afforded the early fathers to 
get up the gospel story, or to have it written to order. 
The gospels have been attributed to various Christian 
fathers, as well as to bishops, priests and monks, but 
with what amount of truth it is now impossible to 



DID JESUS REALLY EXIST f 5 

demonstrate. It is also claimed that the plot of the 
gospel story was handed down from the Essenes, the 
Therapeuts and the monks of Egypt, and was revised, 
re-written and re-located by Christians in %h& «arly 
centuries, similar to what Shakespeare did by the 
most of his plays, the plots of which were borrowed 
from the inventions and traditions of earlier times. 

The Nicene Council, consisting of several hundred 
quarrelsome and pugilistic bishops, called together by 
that wholesale Christian murderer, Constantine, which 
assembled in the year 325, in which contentions and 
fights without number took place, took into consider- 
ation the authenticity of fifty or more " gospels," 
written by different individuals, and after indulging 
in the most acrimonious dissensions and fist-fights, 
finally decided by vote whether the different gospels 
presented were the word of God. They rejected all 
but the four now in the Testament, and one of those 
was admitted by a single vote ; but it was not until 
the middle of the sixth century that the books now 
composing the New Testament were fully settled 
upon, several of them having been persistently dis- 
carded by previous authorities. Thus, we see, by 
what a frail tenure our boasted u word of God " 
hangs, and how easy it was for fraud and deception 
to have been practiced in getting it up. 

The facts we have here mentioned, together with 
others we have before alluded to, the close resem- 
blance between Jesus and flhe numerous demi-gods 
and teachers who preceded him, are quite sufficient 
to shake the confidence of the most credulous devo- 
tee in the actuality of his existence. Christna, Budd- 
ha and others have been considered, but If it is not 
too much like repetition, we will call attention to 



6 DID JESUS REALLY EXIST? 

others who preceded Jesus, and to whom his acts and 
sayings bear a very strong resemblance, 

Alcides, of Egypt, was said to have been born of 
a virgin ; to have performed miraculous cures ; to have 
converted water into wine ; to have cast out devils ; 
to have raised two persons from the dead ; to have 
restored sight to the blind ; to have made the dumb to 
speak and the lame to walk. For Osiris, also, simi- 
lar claims were made. 

Of Pythagoras, of Greece, his devout followers 
asserted that he was originally a spirit from heaven ; 
that his birth was miraculously foretold ; that his 
mother, a virgin, conceived by a spectre ; that in his 
youth he astonished the doctors by his learning and 
knowledge ; that he could foretell events ; that he 
• could subdue wild beasts; that he could be in two 
places at once ; that he could walk on water ; that he 
could handle poisonous serpents without injury; that 
he cured all manner of diseases ; restored sight to the 
blind ; cast out devils ; allayed tempests ; raised peo- 
ple from the dead, and thousands, almost, of other 
wonderful feats as narrated by Jambilicus. He was 
said to possess a very humble disposition ; to be very 
kind to the poor ; to have fasted and prayed, and that 
he advised his disciples to forsake relatives and houses 
and lands for religion's sake. In precepts, moral les- 
sons and purity of life, there was a great similarity 
between him and Jesus, but the latter is not claimed 
to have existed till the former had been dead five 
hundred years. 

Prometheus was a mythical character, but five 
centuries before the time of Jesus it. was held of him 
that he had a miraculous birth, that he had a band of 
disciples; that he taught the best moral precepts; that 



DIB JESUS REALLY EXIST? 1 

he was finally crucified as an expiation for mankind 
amid signs, wonders, and miracles; that nature was 
convulsed, and that deceased saints arose from theii 
graves; that the sun was darkened and refused to 
shine; that after crucifixion he* descended into hell, 
and was afterwards seen to ascend into heaven. 

Apollonius of Tyana, in Cappadocia, had faithful 
disciples and biographers in Dumos and Philostratus, 
who made great claims for this remarkable personage, 
and which were implicitly believed by great num- 
bers of people. That he had a miraculous conception; 
that his mother was a virgin; that all nature was 
subject to his power; that he performed great num- 
bers of miraculous cures; that he restored the blind 
to sight; made the lame to walk; cast out devils; 
raised the dead; read the thoughts of those around 
him; caused a tree to bloom; spoke in languages he 
never learned; that he was transfigured ; that he led 
a spotless life; that he did not many, and opposed 
sexual pleasures; that he spent his time in teaching 
those who gathered around him; that he was a 
prophet, and could foretell events; that he was im- 
prisoned and loaded with chains; that he was cruci- 
fied midst a display of divine power; that he rose 
from the dead; that he appeared to his disciples after 
his resurection; that he finally ascended up to 
heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father, and 
much more of a similar character, and fully equal in 
every respect to what was claimed for Jesus. 

Of Simon Magus, who also existed before Christ, it 
was claimed that he was "in the beginning with 
God" that he existed from all eternity ; that he took 
upon bimself the form of man ; that he was the 
M word " the son of God ' that he was the second 



8 DID JESUS REALLY EXIST* 

person in the trinity ; that he could control the ele- 
ments ; that he could walk in the air: that he could 
move any bodies at will ; that he raised the dead ; 
that he came to redeem the world from sin ; that he 
was the world's "Efavior," " Redeemer," and "the 
only begotten of the Father," and that through his 
name the world was to be saved. 

Numerous other " Saviors " and " Redeemers," who 
lived before Christ might be named in this connect- 
ion to show the striking similarity which existed be- 
tween him and them, but we have already quoted 
enough to give the reader clearly to understand that 
there were, hundreds of years before the time of Jesus, 
abundance of material of which to spin and weave his 
story ; and that taking all the facts into consideration, 
the prior existence of similar claims, and the extreme 
doubt of the authenticity of the gospel narratives of 
Christ, the strongest probability is that such a per- 
sonage is Jesus never had an existence ; or, that if 
he did exist, he was only a common mortal, to whom, 
a century or two after his death was falsely attributed 
by designing, dishonest persons, deific characteristics, 
impossible performances, and moral utterances, after 
the style of the fabulous demi-gods and distinguished 
teachers of older times. 



TRUTH SEEKER LEAFLETS, 

Containing: two pages each of terse, trenchant reading 
matter, without redundancy. 

Price by mail, 4 ots, per doz. ; 25 cts. per hundred; $2.00 
per thousand. 

D. M. BENNETT. \ 

Sif Broadway. N. Y. 



JUST ISSUED! 

BURGESS-UNDERWOOD 

DEBATE. 

COMMENCING JUNE. 29th, 1875, 

AT AYLMER, ONTARIO, 

AND CONTINUING!- FOUR DAYS. 
BETWEEN 

PROF. O. A. BURGESS, 

PBES'T N. W. CHEISTIAN UNIVEESITY, INDIANAPOLIS, IND., 

AND 

B. F. UNDERWOOD, 

OF BOSTON, MASS. 

REPORTED BY JOHN T. HAWKE. 

Fiest Pboposition.— The Christian Beligion, as set forth 
in the New Testament, is true in fact and of divine ori- 
gin. Burgess in affirmative ; Underwood in negative. 

Second Pboposition.— The Bible is erroneous in many 
of its teachings regarding science and morals, and is of 
human origin. Underwood in affirmative; Burgess in 
negative. 

Every person who likes to hear both sides of a ques- 
tion, and to be apprised of what can be said by each dis- 
putant, should avail themselves of the opportunity of 
procuring his valuable work. 

PRESS NOTICE: 

An Aylmer paper of July 9th, 1875, contained the follow- 
ing: "The advocate of Christianity, Pees't Burgess, of 
the Northwestern University, Indianapolis, is everthi ng 
he has been represented to be. An eloquent speaker, 
whose words escape from his mouth, clothed with a living 
earnestness which cannot fail to find a responsive echo 
in the heart of every Christian. 

" B. F. Underwood, of Boston, makes more impression 
on the thinkers by his facts, authorities and theories, and 
when those need more forcible expression, is not inferior 
to Burgess as an orator. The difference between him 
and Burgess in that respect, is, that the latter is almost 
at ali times eloquent, and generally appealing to the sym- 
pathies of his audience ; whilst Me. Underwood does dot 
rely on the momentary influence of language, but ad- 
vances idea after idea, fact after fact, theory after theory, 
with such startling rapidity, that only the most highly 
cultivated mind and the most profound thinker can grasp 
them." 

12 mo. 180 pp. In paper 60 cts. ; cloth. $1. Postpaid. 
D. M. BENNETT, 335 Broadway, N. Y. 



Truth Seeker Tracts. 



[REVISED LIST.] 

No. Cts. 

1. Discussion on Prayer, etc. D. M. Bennett and two 

Clergymen. 8 

2. Oration on the Gods. R. G-. Ingersoll. 10 

3. Thomas Paine. R. G. Ingersoll. 5 

4. Arraingment of the Church, or Individuality, By 

R. G-. Ingersoll. 5 

5. Heretics and Heresies. R. G-. Ingersoll. 5 

6. Humboldt. R. G-. Ingersoll. 5 

7. The Story of Creation. D. M. Bennett. 5 

8. The Old Snake Story. " 2 

9. The story of the Flood. " 5 

10. The Plagues of Egypt. M 2 

11. Korah, Datham, and Abiram. D. M. Bennett. 1 

12. Balaam and his Ass. D. M. Bennett. 2 

13. Arraignment of Priestcraft. D. M. Bennett. 8 

14. Old Abe and Little Ike. John Syphers. 3 

15. Come to Dinner. 2 

16. Fog Horn Documents. 2 

17. The Devil Still Ahead. " 2 

18. Slipped up Again. " 2 

19. Joshua Stopping the Sun and Moon. D. M. Bennett. 2 

20. Samson and his Exploits. D. M. Bennett. 2 

21. The Great Wrestling Match. " 2 

22. Discussion with Elder Shelton. " 10 

23. Reply to Elder Shelton's Fourth Letter. D. M. 

Bennett. 3 

24. Christians at Work. Wm. McDonnell. 5 

25. Discussion with Geo. Snode. D. M. Bennett. 3 

26. Underwood's Prayer. 1 

27. Honest Question and Honest Answers. Bennett. 5 

28. Alessandro di Cagliostro. Chas. Sotheran. 10 

29. Paine Hall Dedication Address. B. F. Underwood. 5 

30. Woman's Rights and Man's Wrongs. John Syphers. 2 

31. Gods and God-houses. John Syphers. 2 

32. The Gods of Superstition and the God of the Uni- 

verse. D. M. Bennett. 8 

33. What has Christianity Done? S. H. Preston. 2 

34. Tribute to Thomas Paine. S. H. Preston. 2 

35. Moving the Ark. D. M. Bennett. 2 

36. Bennett's Prayer to the Devil. 2 

37. A Short Sermon, No. 1. Rev. Theologicus.D.D. 2 

38. Christianity not a Moral System. X. Y. Z. 2 

39. The True Saint. S.P.Putnam. 1 

40. The Bible of Nature vs. The Bible of Men. Syphers. 2 

41. Our Ecclesiastical Gentry. D. M. Bennett. 1 

42. Elijah the Tishbite. D. M. Bennett. 4 

43. Christianity a Borrowed System. D. M. Bennett. 3 

44. Design Argument Refuted, B. F. Underwood. 3 

45. Elisha the Prophet. D. M. Bennett. 2 

46. Did Jesus Really Exist? D. M. Bennett. 3 



47. Cruelty and Credulity of the Human Race. Dr. 

Daniel Arter. 3 

4.8. Freethought in the West. G. L. Henderson. 5 

49. Sensible Conclusions. E. E, Guild. 5 

50. Jonah and the Big Fish. D. M. Bennett. .3 

51. Sixteen Trutn Seeker Leaflets, No. 1 5 

52. Marples-Underwood Debate. B. F. Underwood. 3 

53. Questions for Bible Worshipers. B. F. Underwood. 2 
51. An Open Letter to Jesus Christ. D. M. Bennett. 5 

55. Bible God Disproved by Nature. W. E. Coleman. 8 

56. Bible Contradictions. l 

57. Jesus Not a Perfect Character. B. F. Underwood. 2 

58. Prophecies. B. F. Underwood. 2 

59. Bible Prophecies Concerning Babylon. Underwood. 2 

60. Ezekiel's Prophecies Concerning Tyre. Underwood. 2 

61. History of the Devil. Isaac Paden. 5 

62. The Jews and their God. Isaac Paden. 10 

63. The Devil's Due-Bills. John Syphers. 3 

64. The Ills we endure— their Cause and Cure. Bennett. 5 

65. Short Sermon No. 2. Bev. Theologicus, D.D. 2 

66. God Idea in History. Hugh Byron Brown. 5 

67. Sixteen Truth Seeker Leaflets, No. 2. 5 

68. Ruth's Idea of Heaven and Mine. Susan H. Wixon, 2 

69. Missionaries. Mrs. E. D. Slenker. 2 

70. Vicarious Atonement. Dr. J. S. Lyon. 3 

71. Paine's Anniversary. C. A. Codman. 3 

72. Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego. D. M. Bennett. 2 

73. Foundations. John Synhers. 3 

74. Daniel in the Lions' Den. D. M. Bennett. 2 
75 An Hour with the Devil. D. M. Bennett. 8 



Scientific Series. 



1. Hereditary Transmission. Prof. Louis Elsberg.M.D. 5 

2. Evolution ; from the Homogeneous to tne Hetero- 

geneous. B. F. Underwood. 3 

3. Darwinism. B. F. Underwood. 3 

4. Literature of the Insane. Frederic R. Marvin, M.D. 5 

5. Responsibility of Sex. Mrs. Sara B. Chase. M.D. 3 

6. Graduated Atmospheres. James McCarroll. 2 

7. Death. Frederic R. Marvin, M.D. 5 
Discount on $1 worth, 10 per cent. ; on $2 worth, 20 per 

cent. ; on $3 worth, 25 per cent. ; on $5 wortn, 40 per cent. ; 
on $10 worth, 50 per cent. Postage paid, by mail. 

The foregoing Tracts, with a number of others not yet 
listed, will be issued early in 1876, in THREE VOLUMES, 
of 500 pages each, at the extremely low price of 60 cents in 
paper, and $ i . o o in cloth, or $1.50 for the three voiumes 
in paper, or $2.50 tor the three volumes in cloth. Cheaper 
and better reading matter on a wide variety of subjects, 
and by different authors, can nowhere be obtained. 

D. M. BENNETT, 

335 Broadway, N. Y. 



Will You Take a Copy ? 



ffow in press, and will be issued in the early part of 1876, 
THE 

(I Wnrlrt'o Corroo Inflrlnlo onrl TUUro " 



World's Saps, Infidels and Thiers, 



Being the Biographies and important sayings of the 
most distinguished Teachers, Philosophers, Reformers, 
Innovators, Founders of New Schools of Thought and 
Religion, Unbelievers in Current Theology, Scientists and 
Humanitarians of the world, from the early age of Menu 
down through the following 3000 years to our own time. 

A crown- octavo volume of over 800 pages. 

By D. M. BENNETT, Editor of The Truth Seeker, 

With a steel plate Engraving of the Author. 

It Is believed the work will fill a want long felt, and will 
add materially to the general information touching the 
characters treated, affording a succinct and correct ac- 
count of the best and truest persons who have lived, and 
In a convenient and economical form. 

The whole will be divided into four parts: 

PABT I 

Will embrace Menu, Zoroaster, Ohristna, Buddha, Con- 
fucius. Lycurgus, Anaximander, Epimenedes, Pythag- 
oras, Solon, Xenophanes, Socrates, Plato, Diogenes, Epi- 
curus, Zeno, Hypo crates, Aristotle, Cicero, and many 
others of the most prominent Grecian and Boman Sages 
down to the Christian era. 

PABT II 
Will contain Jesus, Seneca, Celsus, Porphyry. Pliny. 
Antoninus, Plutarch, Epictetus, Galen, Hypatia, Julian 
the Apostate, Mahomet, Boger Bacon. Boccaccio, Bruno, 
Vanini, Copernicus, Galileo, Hobbes, Spinoza, Lord Ba- 
con, Descartes, Hume, and many others, prior to. and ia 
the eighteenth century. 



PART III 
Embrace* later Freethinkers, Philosophers and Scien- 
tists down to our own time, some of whom are Helve- 
tius, Voltaire, Rousseau, D'Alembert, Goethe, Kant. 
Condorcet, Yolney, D'Holbach, Richard Carlyle, Sir Wm, 
Hamilton, Combe, Paine, Jefferson, Humboldt, Mary 
Wollstonecraft, Shelley, Comte, Frances Wright, Harriet 
Martineau, Kneeland, Parker, Feuerbach, Lyell, Strauss, 
G-. Yale, Buckle, J. Stuart Mill, and others who have re 

centlyflied. 

PART IV 

Will comprise the living: Scientists, Teachers, Liberalise 
Advanced Thinkers, and promulgators of Free Thought, 
among whom are Darwin. Huxley, Spencer, Tyndall, 
Helmholtz, Beuchner. Wallace, Crookes, Renan, Golenso. 
Draper, Fiske, Holyoke, Watts, Bradlaugh, Menduxn, 
Beaver, R. D. Owen, S. P. Andrews, Frothingham, Abbott 
A. J. Davis, Turtle. Denton, Pike, Ellis, Ingersoll. Under- 
wood, i Peebles, and numerous others, eompoaixur 
mental advance guard of the age. 

The work will embrace some onb hundred axb 
of the characters to whom the world owes so much lor 
the progress it has made in the evolution of thought* 
truth and reason. 

An important feature will be to give the death-bod lne§» 
Aents of the characters treated, so far as possible, thaft 
disproving the false assertions so often made, that Unbe- 
lievers and Infidels recant upon their death-beds. 

The work will be printed on new type, good paper, and 
will be bound in good style. Price, by mail or other- 
wise, THREE DOLLARS. 

Mm" N. B. No money required until the work ie ready 
to deliver ; and after received, if it is not worth the price, 
and does not give satisfaction, and is returned In good 
order, the money will be refunded. Those wishing the 
work, will make application as below, that It may fee; 
known how large an edition to print. 

Orders for the work will be taken by B. P. UKDO» 
wood, or they may be sent to the Author and Publishes, 
D. M. BENNETT, 

335 Broadway, New Totfe 

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THE TBUTH SEEKEB. 

It is fearless and outspoken in its advocacy of truth and 
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THE HEATHENS OF THE HEATH, 

by wm. modonnbll. 

Author of M Exeter Hall/' etc., etc. 

This Work is rich in romantic and pathetic incidents. 
It exhibits, with an overwhelming: array of facts, the 

Terrible Atrocities 

committed by the Church. It shows that the purest mor- 
ality exists without the Bible, and that many of the heath- 
en philosophers were " Lovers of Virtue." 

Shocking instancet are given of the depravity of Chris- 
tian ministers, and of the prevailing immorality among 
Christian people. 

The folly of "Foreign Missions" is fully portrayed. 
Hypocrisy and bigotry are clearly exposed, and the road 
to virtue and happiness plainly marked out, 

A most pleasing Romance is woven into the work in 
which much chance is afforded for fine descriptions and 
beautiful sentiments, which the author well knows how 
to give utterance to. 

"On the whole it is the work of a master hand— a work 
of unaffected beauty and the deepest interest. 

" One of the most valuable features of the work is that 
Us positions are all proved. Every thinking, enquiring 
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